#j-hope x oc

[insfiringyou]

BTS - The Night Before (Suga x Jeong-sun) & (J-Hope x Nana)

Contains: Fluff, some angst. Mentions of RM and V.

Set shortly after ‘The Final Shift’ and ‘Flower Arrangements’, Jeong-sun spends the night before her wedding at Hoseok and Nana’s apartment. 

You can find out more about our headcanon girlfriends here.

To read each member & their girlfriend’s headcanon universe fics in order, follow the links here: RM   /   Jin /   Suga /   J-Hope   /   Jimin   /   V   /   Jungkook 

& our full masterlist of fics and original art can be found here

Content below the cut

She almost didn’t spot him at first. The sky outside the sliding door was a murky blue, signalling the first sign of dusk, and his silhouette on the patio porch blended almost seamlessly with the treeline beyond the brick wall at the end of the tiny garden. Jeong-sun had checked the studio twice already, certain he would be there. But the piano lay still in the dark, no sheets of music or writing littering its surface. She hadn’t heard him play for a week at least, though she supposed she knew why. 

The door was slightly ajar and she pushed it gently; a soft trail of cigarette smoke danced through the gap as he exhaled silently. 

“Get lost?” She gently called, not wanting to startle him. 

He looked around, a smile playing on his lips, before turning back to face the small square of grass in the centre of the concrete. Jeong-sun had noted with some amusement, in the short time she had been living with him, that he kept the patch meticulously mowed come rain or shine. He wasn’t overtly prideful about it; after all, there were no flowerbeds to be seen along its edges, but maintaining it came as easily to him as brushing his teeth.

“I’m sorry, just thinking…” He said.

“Good things I hope.” Jeong-sun retorted, though a touch of uncertainty clouded the edges of her voice. She remained still for a moment, tongue subconsciously prodding the inside of her cheek as she clutched a mug of tea between her fingers, before quietly joining him on the step. He’d had his hair cut neatly the day before, cropping it shorter than she had seen it in a few months, and she brushed the ends lovingly as he took another pull on the cigarette, the red tip dancing briefly in the air, before dropping to his side.

“I haven’t seen you smoke in a while.” She commented, without judgment but unable to help the curiosity in her voice.

He looked at her, suddenly aware of his surroundings for the first time in twenty minutes, and smiled, a little aloofly. “Old habits.” He murmured, glancing down as though considering another drag, before deciding against it.

“It’s a nice night.” Her hand touched his covered arm, rubbing it gently. 

“Yeah…”

She realised at once there was something more on his mind…more than the deluge of thoughts and emotions that had been running through hers for the past twenty four hours, and she pushed at it lightly, voice soft.

“Have you heard from Namjoon?”

She expected a sigh, but there came none. “No…” He said quietly in a tone that was hard to read. “Maybe he can’t get to his phone.”

She nodded deftly. “I’m sure that’s it.” If there was doubt in her voice, she hid it well and he didn’t seem to notice.

“It was quite short notice.” He admitted, almost to himself. 

She rubbed his arm once, feeling the cotton sleeve beneath her palm. “I’m glad you changed your mind.” She paused. “At least…I think you’ll be glad later.”

“Tae hasn’t gotten back either.” 

The disappointment was now evident, though not enough to dour his mood. Still, she sensed the cigarettes hadn’t been an accident like he had claimed - there were at least four other butts visible on the patio below. 

“Is that why you’re stressed?” She asked; fingertips brushing along his sleeve comfortingly.

“I’m not stressed.” He turned to her. “Not really.”

She saw at once it was true and felt relieved. Eyes swimming with mirth, she reached for the almost-out cigarette, slipping it from between his fingers and taking her own tokenary drag, exhaling slowly into the still evening evening air, a soft smile playing on her lips. Yoongi took her other hand, fingers pressing against hers.

“What time’s Hoseok picking you up?” He asked.

She checked her watch, the pearlescent face shimmering in the soft glow of the living room behind them. “Half an hour.”

Yoongi laughed breathily. “He’ll be early.” He warned.

“What will you do?” Jeong-sun asked softly, both curious and a little sympathetic.

He shrugged non committedly. “Early night.”

She nodded, not surprised now she thought of it. “Don’t be late.” She quipped.

“I won’t.” He replied seriously.

She sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

He shook his head at once, mouth twisting. “Hoseok and Nana will have something planned.”

“I was worried about that.” She murmured dryly.

Yoongi laughed, grinning to himself. Still he squeezed her hand in reassurance. “You’ll enjoy yourself.”

“Last night of freedom.” She taunted, eyebrows raised.

He flashed his teeth. “I doubt they’ve hired a stripper.”

She rolled her eyes, though matched his smile. “No, but Seulgi might bark all night. I’ll lose my beauty sleep.”

“Is your mom coming in the morning?”

“My brother’s picking her up from the airport tonight. She’ll stay with him.”

He nodded. “And your dad?”

“Meeting us there.” She turned to him. “I hear he’s bringing a friend.”

Yoongi watched her raise a single eyebrow playfully and sensed the meaning immediately. His chest seemed to warm, which surprised him. “A date?” He confirmed.

“I hope so. She owns a cafe by the river.” She looked back towards the end of the little garden, thinking to herself. “They’ve been friends for years.”

“Good for him.” He nodded solidly, realising how happy the news made him. He had only met her father twice, more recently when the older man came over to drop off some of Jeong-sun’s things, but the respect he had for him was immediate. It was more than the token gratitude he had been brought up to feel when respecting one's elders, and perhaps even more than a quiet sort of fondness he had for the way the man had helped raise Jeong-sun. He had seen a lot of himself in the private way he had carried himself; the mourning he had subtly witnessed for Jeong-sun’s mother who was very much still alive. He realised, this whole time, he had wanted him to be happy.

They once more fell silent, his eyebrows knitting together. She could tell there was something on his mind and made a neutral sound between her lips, urging him to speak.

“I didn’t write a speech.” He admitted, sorrily. 

“Me neither.” 

“I didn’t know what to say…” He looked away, across the garden where the shadows now grew in length. “At least in front of other people.” Pausing, he shook his head. “I couldn’t do it justice.” Slowly, he turned back to her. “I’ve always told you how I feel…” Yoongi paused, hesitating. “Maybe not well enough at first.” The tinge of doubt in his voice made her want to reach for him, touch him. But still, she held back. “I love you so much.” He finished, almost urgently.

“You’ll make me cry.” She smiled, meaning it to sound playful but unable to help the knot which seemed to form in her throat. 

He turned to look at her straight, squeezing her hand tightly, reassuringly. “I don’t think so.”

“I’ve always known.” She reassured him, pressing back against his fingers. 

“I can’t put it into words…”

“Me neither.” She quietly agreed, smiling in understanding. “I just know…” Her eyes stang a little, though she let them. “I can’t wait to be married to you.”

He smiled in response, though fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. “Do you think it will feel any different?”

“I don’t know…” Her mouth curled. “Ask me tomorrow?”

They sat side by side for a while, before deciding, almost in unison, to move to the front, where they would get a better view of the rapidly changing sky and watch out for Hoseok’s arrival. Yoongi left the sliding doors unlocked and Jeong-sun eyed the half-empty pack of Marlboros on the porch, undoubtedly waiting for his return once she left. The thought didn’t trouble her. He seemed as able to pick up the habit and quit again as she had once done jobs during her university years, and she sensed that whatever urge had driven him to the step in the evening twilight, it was serving to comfort him a little. It would be a long night to spend alone.

The front of the house was equally quiet which surprised her for this time of year. As the days grew longer there were usually some signs of activity from the street; people going to parties or into town for the evening, but on this occasion the environment seemed to match their introspective mood. That was, until they heard the approaching tyres of the Porsche as it slid around the bend in the street. Window down, they heard Hoseok’s voice before they fully saw him.

“Aw, you’re holding hands!”

They both looked down, almost unaware of the fact as the younger man parked smoothly against the curb, 

“I’m allowed…” Yoongi retorted dryly before turning to Jeong-sun. “Are you all packed?”

“It’s in the hallway.” She conformed, slowly getting to her feet. 

“We’ll take care of her.” Hoseok reassured as the young woman went back in the house. 

Yoongi nodded. “I’m sure you will.”

She returned a moment later, struggling a little with the holdall which seemed packed to the brim. Jeong-sun, in a last minute rush, had indecisively packed both her hair straighteners and her curling prongs, not sure which she wanted. He slipped the strap a little further up her arm, resting it firmly against her shoulder. 

“So this is it?” She whispered quietly, unsure whether she felt nervous or relieved. 

Yoongi looked at her softly and nodded. “Until tomorrow.” He murmured. 

“I’ll be there.” She smiled. 

“I hope so.”

They leaned in, kissing each other with a surprising tenderness, forgetting they were being watched as their bodies pressed together, her bag nestling between them a little awkwardly as he cupped her cheek. Slowly, he pulled away. The beams from Hoseok’s car lit the street and he sensed the other man’s eagerness to take Jeong-sun to whatever strange fate awaited her back at Nana’s apartment. 

“Oh! You’re not married yet!” Hoseok called playfully as their bodies moved apart. 

“Piss off.” Yoongi murmured casually, making the other man grin with delight.

Jeong-sun flashed an almost sympathetic look, though it was herself she was feeling sorry for, before slipping her bag in the back of the strangely small car, tucking it behind the front seats. Yoongi watched her get in, standing still on the stoop at the front of the house as she waved to him through the window. The car slowly took off, her dark hair just visible as they turned away and Yoongi waited until they were both out of sight before going inside. 

***

“Absolutely not.” Jeong-sun said, a smile playing on her lips. The small, cluttered kitchen smelt strongly of chicken and vegetables, the scent had hit her as soon as she walked through the door, but the oversized pan bubbling on the stove was not what she was referring to.

Hoseok’s eyes widened in excitement. “I’ve tried them before. It’s really good for your complexion.”

The younger woman’s face remained neutral. “Is that so?”

Nana quickly piped up, mixing the thick concoction in the plastic tub with a plastic spatula. The label on the outside showed Jeong-sun it had once held Neapolitan ice cream, though its faded surface suggested it was more used for other purposes. “I learned how to do them at a natural workshop. The teacher said it’s a secret Scandinavian recipe.”

“Is there something wrong with my complexion?” Jeong-sun blinked, not meaning to be serious, but the couple’s faces turned to alarm. 

“No!” They both cried in unison. Hoseok immediately stepped forward, 

“We just thought it would be nice.” He wrapped his arm around her comfortingly before straightening up, his chest puffing a little. “I certainly want to look my best for tomorrow!”

“But if you don’t want to, it’s not a big deal.” Nana quickly added. 

Jeong-sun sighed internally, realising not following their carefully organised plans would certainly lead them to overthink the evening, and dour the mood. “No…” She uttered, giving in. “I’ll try.”

Hoseok stepped away joyfully, uncurling himself from her frame. “Nana made your cake! Just as requested.”

“Carrot and walnut.” The older woman smiled, almost proudly.

“Yoongi says it’s your favourite.” Hoseok nodded. 

Nana frowned. “Though not very traditional.”

Jeong-sun joined them by the kitchen counter, glancing sideways at the plate in the corner which she guessed was the object in question. Nana had covered the enormous mound with a chequered gingham cloth which fit well with the colourful decor of the kitchen. “Thank you.” She murmured, sincerely. “I guess we’re a bit counter for taste.” She admitted, lips turning up at the corner as she remembered the expression on Yoongi’s face when she had first ordered the delicacy, some years ago. They had visited a small bakery off the streets of Insa-dong one morning afternoon after work; his dark cap was as inconspicuous as her oversized sweater, but he had bought it for her and added another for himself just the same.  

“I had to look it up. I’d never made it before.”

“She got the carrots from the balcony.” Hoseok gestured towards the kitchen, where a little row of planters could just be glimpsed beyond the old-fashioned net curtains.

“I had to supplement them with ones from the market.” Nana admitted sadly. “We can’t fit that many in the pot.”

Jeong-sun sighed. “I’m really grateful, but you didn’t have to.”

Nana’s eyes widened at once. “It’s my honour.”

Hoseok nodded eagerly. “She really means it.”

Jeong-sun saw from their matching expressions that it was true, not that she had doubted them. The pair always seemed so earnest in a way which seemed foreign and unfamiliar. Perhaps it was her own upbringing that caused her to view sincerity with distrust. Lost in thought, the sudden bubbling from the stove, which seemed to grow a notch louder, caught her attention as Nana turned down the heat.

“Dinner’s ready.” The older woman said, sliding the lid off the pan. The smell grew stronger and Jeong-sun peered at the contents with curiosity. A thin, brown liquid shimmered, rainbow-like, on the surface. 

“Is that for us?” She asked, trying not to sound ungrateful. 

“No.” Nana laughed, immediately catching the look of relief on Jeong-sun’s face.

“It’s for Seulgi.” Hoseok reassured, glancing sideways at the dog who sat quietly in the basket in the corner. 

“It’s a type of broth. The dog loves it!” Nana reached down for the metal bowl by the dog bed and the canine sprung to life at the sound, wagging her tail eagerly. 

Jeong-sun smirked, raising an eyebrow to herself. “Do you always cook for the dog?”

“She’s been poorly lately.” Nana sighed, bending down to pet her head. “Upset stomach.”

“I’m sure she’ll be alright tonight though.” Hoseok joined her side, giving the dog a reassuring stroke. “The vet says it’s just something she ate.”

“Where does the dog sleep?” Jeong-sun asked, trying to hide her apprehension. She didn’t dislike dogs exactly, she’d never been bitten or had one startle her, but having been without pets her whole life, she never really understood the infatuation with them. She’d considered getting a goldfish once upon a time, when she first moved into her apartment downtown, but she figured the company she’d get from its presence wouldn’t make up for the time she spent cleaning the tank.

“Not with us.” Nana quickly retorted.

The target of her statement gave a sorry look towards the canine, affectionately. “Aw…” Hoseok cooed. “She sometimes sleeps with us.”

“Not when she’s sick Hoseok!” Nana replied, a little harshly, making the man back away. Her tone suddenly lightened as she bent down and stroked the soft fur on Seulgi’s rump kindly. “She’s got a lovely bed downstairs.” She sang, almost soothingly, as though trying to convince the dog of the matter.

“And where am I sleeping?” Jeong-sun asked cautiously. 

“Oh, don’t worry about that!” Hoseok dismissed kindly.

“You’ll be comfy, I promise.” Nana added, straightening up now the food was served. Seulgi lapped at it hungrily.

“And no sneaking out in the middle of the night.” Hoseok wagged his finger scoldingly, though he grinned as he said it.

“To spend the last night with your husband to be…” Nana added, almost innocently.

“He’ll be fast asleep by then.” Jeong-sun admitted, hoping it was true. She hated the thought of Yoongi being kept awake by nerves.

“Masks!” Hoseok suddenly claimed, only just remembering as he picked up the discarded ice cream tub from the kitchen counter. The scent of bananas was overwhelming and Jeong-sun spotted the large slabs of fruit dancing on the surface of the pale formula. Nana, it seemed, had used a whole bunch. She silently took her cue to follow them into the adjoining living room where the T.V stood blaring a colourful film; the tone informed her it was old, from the 90s perhaps, with subtitles. A group of women in shoulderpads sat clustered around a table in the middle of a bar; their perms as subtle as the slices of bananas in the mask. 

“Have you seen this before?” Hoseok asked, half watching the conversation on screen. The women’s accents were strong, even Jeong-sun could tell that, and a little familiar. She had never been to Australia, though her mother’s partner could be heard on the phone sometimes, asking her questions in the background. She thought that might be it.

“No.” Jeong-sun admitted.

“Oh, it’s great!” He beamed.

Nana glanced and smiled. “Hoseok’s discovered Abba.” She murmured approvingly. Jeong-sun didn’t quite get the reference until the next scene, when the music started; she recognised ‘Dancing Queen’, to which Hoseok gave an enthusiastic rendition. 

Jeong-sun sat down on the little sofa, pulling aside the blanket which was covered in hair, with some disdain. “I’ll ask the DJ if he takes requests.”

Hoseok paused, eyes wide. “You hired a DJ?” He asked hopefully.

She looked at him with an expression Yoongi would have been familiar with. “No.” 

His face dropped, disappointedly, before turning back to the screen.

“Min-seo sends her love.” Nana joined Jeong-sun on the sofa, obviously ignoring the now folded blanket which she sat on.

“You spoke to her?” Jeong-sun asked.

Nana nodded cheerfully. “She came around to help with the cake. She had to leave early to feed Eun-ju. She wishes she could have been here though.”

“Eun-ju’s grown so much!” Hoseok turned around just long enough to flash an affectionate smile. The scene on screen had once again moved on. It quickly dawned on Jeong-sun that the movie was also about a wedding and she wondered whether the choice had been deliberate.

 “Min-seo’s picked her out a dress for tomorrow. She’ll look so cute.” Nana smiled, face half covered by the yellow mask. Jeong-sun hadn’t noticed her put it on. 

Hoseok turned back, his attention drawn away from the film by the strong scent. “Do mine.” He pleaded, joining Jeong-sun closely on the other side of the sofa which hadn’t been designed for three grown people. 

“Erm…” Jeong-sun handled the spatula nervously. “How much do you want?” Her lips curled. “One scoop or two?”

“Lay it on thick.” Hoseok beamed, moving his face forward, as though holding it out for her.

“He likes to eat it sometimes.” Nana smirked.

***

The film had finished with a predictably buoyant ending. Muriel had stood up to her bullies and headed for the airport, never to return. The movie made way to another foreign one; this about a time traveller in England who used his inherited powers to get the girl, though the trio seemed to quieten down once the masks had dried and the clock counted down to midnight. At some point Seulgi had made her way between them on the couch, her head resting against Hoseok’s thigh with a surprisingly human-like sigh. Unsurprisingly; Jeong-sun had gotten the rump end. Still, she stroked her fur casually, almost without realising. Sick or not, Nana hadn’t protested her presence. 

Jeong-sun yawned without realising, stretching her back against the uncomfy back-rest. Her face felt tight beneath the mask; though she had gotten used to the fruity scent.

“Are you tired?” Hoseok asked, speaking for the first time in fifteen minutes. 

Jeong-sun blinked sleepily, realising she was. “Big day tomorrow.”

“Did you pack your jammies?” He asked seriously. She looked at him; eyes wide beneath his thickly smeared mask, and laughed to herself. “Nana has some if you didn’t.” He added.

“I brought some.” Jeong-sun nodded. “Besides, I’m not sure Nana’s would fit.” She admitted with a shrug, casting an eye over the other woman’s tall, slender frame. 

“They’re very versatile.” Hoseok commented, though Nana broke the conversation by getting to her feet, gently pushing the dog off the sofa. The canine yawned, stretching its long body before plopping heavily on the rug.

“I made up the bed for you.” 

“Where will you sleep?” Jeong-sun asked.

“Here.” Nana pointed at the sofa, barely small enough for the three of them, without concern. Jeong-sun didn’t question how uncomfy they would be, she knew they would protest. 

“Thank you.” She nodded kindly. 

“And I’ll be up nice and early to get you ready.” Nana beamed, scooping up the now-empty ice cream tub from the side table and taking it into the kitchen.

“Me too!” Hoseok quickly added. 

“Thanks.” Jeong-sun smiled. “That means a lot to me.”

Once the room was cleared Jeong-sun slowly made her way up the stairs, to the single master bedroom which was neatly made up compared to the rest of the apartment. She remembered the mask and considered going to the bathroom straight away, but instead slipped her phone from her jean pocket.

The photograph was unflattering but she didn’t care. The mask had set firmly against her features; a large slab of banana visible beneath her fringe, in the centre of her forehead. She tried not to laugh as she sent the picture, sitting comfortably down on the bed. I smell like banana. She typed, hitting send.

It occurred to her at once he might not be awake to see it, but predictably the reply came a moment later. Two single words. Dear Jesus.

She smiled to herself, wondering if she too would be able to sleep.

I love you. 

Her phone pinged a second later, before she’d even had time to take off her socks.

I love you too.

***

Thank you for reading. To read each member & their girlfriend’s headcanon universe fics in order, follow the links here: RM   /   Jin /   Suga  /   J-Hope   /   Jimin   /   V   /   Jungkook

& Our full masterlist of fics and original art can be found here

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[r3tr0s-posts]

DRAW THEM HOLDING HANDS BLUSHING OR LITERALLY ANYTHING THANK YOU ROBOT MAN 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

>>AN OFFERING TO THE WINESODA NATION

#murder drones #murder drones fanart #md j #serial designation j #oc x canon #art request #<file>art.data #<file>others.ocs #>>I DECIDED TO DO A FUN LIL DOODLE LOL #>>I HOPE THATS ALRIGHT #>>I HAD FUN DRAWING THEM BOTH LIKE USUAL 0]0]0]0]0]

[powderblueblood]

Can we please talk about the Jonathan of it all? I love that lacy had the tiniest thing for him before nancy had him all spellbound (no hate to my girl nancy. She can't help it that her pussy pop's severely or however that meme goes) lacy likes herself a weirdo and I am right there with her. I want to ask, she mentions they went out on one date and you mention it a bit but was it really a date or something she, for lack of a better word, tricked him in to? because we both know he wouldn't have asked her out and I'm completely unsure if she'd even utter the word 'date' to him because it might have spooked him or had him thinking she was trying to pull something on him. Basically I want to know how you think lacy would have gotten him to agree to even meet in the park because as stated in a later chapter, he's pretty hard to get a hold of. sorry I'm fixating on this one part. it's just, idk i really liked that lacy saw something in him and went as far as she did to pursue him, you know?

never apologize for fixating in my inbox EVER, that's what this place is for. this dynamic is so secretly special to me. i honestly think if things were different and lacy didn't need a motormouth like munson to rev her engine up and bring her to life out of sheer annoyance, there would be a strong dair energy between her and jonathan. he appealed to something very real within her; he's sweet and thoughtful and sweet and thoughtful are in short supply. the following is how lacy and jonathan ended up standing elbow-to-elbow in main street vinyl that fateful summer. written in the third person because i thought, why not, fun. part of the hellfire & ice universe

HAWKINS, INDIANA. JULY 1982-ISH, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

Dear reader,

Summer makes us pliable, I think. It makes us liquid and wanting. We've hit record temperatures this July, and even the best conditioned of places feel like they're warping. I find myself spilling over into things I usually wouldn't, looking over people's shoulders to peer into how they're handling the heat. Anything to break the monotony of Carol's/gas station/Lover's Lake/Skull Rock/substitute as appropriate.

I'm not finding anything interesting. Or didn't. Until today.

TRACK ONE - MARQUEE MOON by TELEVISION.

The weather that day was too heavy for the sky to hold, and Lacy's sour mood with everyone was too heavy to gloss out. She peeled her car out of the rocky bank at Lover's Lake and may have nipped Harrington's on the way, humidity fogging over her spatial awareness.

No one bothered to poke holes in Lacy's flimsy excuse for leaving, which she kind of resented--in fact, she was kind of resenting the grand dearth in attention she was getting. Cass on Mikey, Carol on Tommy, Tina chasing Steve, Derek pouring over Nicole, but no one quite zeroing in on her. The boys would shoot a stolen glance her way when her shirt and shorts came off, a momentary and forbidden distraction from whatever they were supposed to be locked into.

She's gorgeous, sure. And she knows it, of course. But not gorgeous enough to latch onto, it seems. Nothing of substance there. Lacy was bored to distraction herself.

Once she hit the throbbing, melting concrete of Hawkins' main drag again, she parked a couple of blocks away from the record store, figuring it would do no good to hitch her car right out front. Even if no one was looking for her. Lacy was a girl made of buffers and alibis, pushing the heavy glass door open just as the lightning cracks overhead. It announced her arrival in a way she could have done without.

The clerk, Jerry, a man made up of mostly Groucho Marx facial hair with bifocals perched on top, regarded her with a half-second glance. Lacy patted her perspiring brow as delicately as possible and wound her way towards the 'T's. She had a riff caught in her head that the darkening sky inspired, with all that threatening rain and achy rumbles of thunder, and she needed to exorcise it. It wasn't something she could do in the grand privacy of her own bedroom, because this was a purchase she hadn't smuggled home yet.

Plucking the record out and looking to the listening booths with a satisifed quirk of her lips, Lacy caught Jonathan Byers' dark, serious, brow-knit stare the very second before he thought to snap back around. His headphones skewed against his dull brown hair in a way she knew should have disgusted her. Pavlovian, Lacy waited for her learned reaction to kick in; a lurch, an ew, Byers, what a weirdo! squeeze of the abdominal muscles but... nothing. Nothing happened.

Like she'd left the part of herself that knew how to perform that back at the lake with the others.

Whatever.

The listening booth beside Jonathan Byers stood free. His spine visibly stiffened as she stepped up to his right, picking up the headphones and putting the needle down. The perspex between them was stained heavily, browned blotches of nicotine from decades past, but still transparent enough to see through. And Lacy could feel Jonathan's stare again, beady and judging and zeroing in on the vinyl cover as she flipped it over in her careful hands.

Confusion teemed off him in waves, prompting her to feel something-- a kind of smug indulgence in the notion that he might be thinking, What the fuck is Lacy Doevski doing listening to Television?

Smugger still that if he were to tell anyone, no one would ever believe him.

TRACK TWO - HERE SHE COMES NOW by THE VELVET UNDERGROUND.

Jonathan doesn't spend any time thinking about people like Lacy Doevski, and he means that. Not a flitting fantasy of oh, what would it be like to have the glaring sun of someone so popular shone upon him, nothing like that. Kid's a realist, okay? He knows that people like Lacy are not even worth entertaining the thought--plus, she's mean. As kindergarten as it sounds, he about as much mean in his life as he can handle, thank you very much.

But there's something about a person encroaching on your space, especially in summertime. Was it not for the perspex, they'd be elbow-to-elbow at the listening booths of Main Street Vinyl. And due to the Byers' shot air conditioning with no fix in budget and therefore in sight, he comes here every day to avail of those big box fans. So, unfortunately, does Lacy.

Doesn't she have a state of the art unit she could be sitting in front of, blasting cold air and listening to all these records that she can definitely afford but never ends up buying in the privacy of her own plush Loch Nora home? Why does she hang around here with a soft sheen of perspiration on her forehead that she has to keep shyly dabbing at? Irritably flipping her hair as she tries to subtly spy what he's listening to?

She's not as smooth as she thinks she is.

Why did she roll her eyes and smile a little when she spotted the copy of White Light/White Heat he was listening to? Why did she swap out what she was spinning for a copy of The Velvet Underground & Nico?

Why did Jonathan kind of smile back?

TRACK THREE - FEAR IS A MAN'S BEST FRIEND by JOHN CALE.

Shutting up feels good in a place like this.

Not that Lacy doesn't thrive off the empty caloric intake of a good gossip, but a break in the buzz became more and more adored. And this wordless game of record chicken she'd taken to playing with Jonathan Byers...

Well, how does one explain that without coming across as cruel? Fact was, she was having fun with it and a huge portion of that pie was because Jonathan was so far out in the social hinterlands that it would never blow back on her. No one would ever accuse Lacy of having freak-loving tendencies because no one would ever care to notice Jonathan in the presence of someone like her. He was younger and he was quiet. He had a busted up family, of course, no one found that too interesting. He didn't parade himself around as a paragon of oddity like some people did, like that Munson kid did. He was just... nobody. And for a while, so was she, and it didn't feel entirely terrifying.

The two of them fell into this strange, silent rhythm, where it appeared to the naked eye that they were just two distant classmates standing next to one another in this stuffy record store.

But Jonathan's nose would wrinkle if she was listening to something he didn't recognize, and he'd tug at the hair behind his ear if he did. Jonathan's nose was always a little oily and a soft waft of body odor escaped under his deodorant as he passed her in the stacks-- yet, none of these imperfections triggered that habitual repulsion that they ought to. That they would have, if school was still in session. Instead, Lacy began to feel this animalic pull toward them.

It was as if she immediately started to try and sniff him out each time she entered the store.

And Lacy being Lacy, the pull made her want to push back. Threaten it. Break the unspoken covenant they had and see what Jonathan would do. Boredom with your life begets a thing like that, you see. So, she lifted her needle off John Cale, curved her fingers around the stained plastic that separated them and said, "I love Linda Thompson's voice, don't you?"

He'd never directly met her eyes before then.

"You wh-- sorry?"

TRACK FOUR - SUGAR ON MY TONGUE by THE TALKING HEADS.

Jonathan's a good judge of character. You have to be, with a father like Lonnie and a mother like Joyce. You have to know how to spot someone who's an asshole or someone on the verge of a breakdown from a few hundred miles away. You have to know the difference between good company and bad; Jonathan's skilled at that. Just, so far, seems that the only good company in Hawkins is his own.

Until. Well. Listen.

Lacy kind of made the lines blur.

He couldn figure out if she was fucking with him or not.

Instinct told him that she was; that this was some big elaborate plot to humiliate him somehow, because something like that always seems to be lurking around the corner for him. But the way she smoothed the arch out of her brow when she spoke to him--bitesized sentences, Bagel Bites of conversation--made Jonathan edge closer to that dangerous maybe not.

And they only ever talked about music.

Lacy did most of the heavy lifting, with Jonathan too struck to offer anything beyond a single-word affirmation or a strangled smile over the alarm bells that kept ringing in his head. She kept going, however, saying these incredibly clever, snipped, almost curated things that made Jonathan notice the shape of her mouth.

"...and I actually have that. I could make you a tape."

Jonathan's finger twisted into the wire of his headphones. "Oh, you don't-- I actually, I have this one too."

"Oh."

What was he talking about? That copy of Talking Heads: 77 that he's played to death but couldn't find for the life of him, not in the deepest recesses of his bedroom? The fact that it was missing brought about crazy feelings of self betrayal because that thing was one of Jonathan's prized possessions. Not least of all because it came out the same year he turned ten; same year Lonnie made him shoot a rabbit, same year he proved to Lonnie that he'd never be the man his father wanted him to be.

"Um, no, actually," Jonathan said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I lost it, actually. My copy." Say actually one more time, buddy. "But you don't have to."

Lacy gave him a look that was solid and confident, one he almost recognized from the real-her, the one that existed in the spaces outside this record store. This looked more genuine, though. Like there was light behind her eyes.

"I want to," she said, "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to."

TRACK FIVE - PABLO PICASSO by THE MODERN LOVERS.

"Meet me in the park at off Maple at like... midday?" Lacy knew how it sounded, so she gave him a shrug, one so characteristic and comforting to her. Sliding responsibility right off the curve of one shoulder. "Or don't. It's up to you. But that's where I'll be."

And if she's confessional honest, she hadn't expected him to come. To breach containment of the bubble they'd created in the listening booths, hogging them away from the other patrons of the store. It was safe there, where they didn't have to exchange pleasantries like how are you or what's new, where things were abstracted yet so incredibly personal because this, this, music was one of her secret vestiges that she didn't share with anyone.

To bring it out in the light like this, in the pollen-filled field, to a pockmarked picnic table, meant Lacy was risking it.

Most of her knew that a thing like this couldn't survive being outside it's stuffy, soundtracked bell jar. But the little flicker that thought, dangerously, maybe burned bright in her. In some long neglected place.

"Hey."

"Oh, hi."

Summer makes you pliable. Makes you want to try anything.

It had that effect on Jonathan too, because he showed. But Jonathan shies away from the light; even sitting with Lacy in the shade, the farthest he could position himself from her, he squinted and hunched and looked all apologetic about it. Lacy couldn't hack through the awkwardness with a chainsaw, one she wanted so desperately to rev and scream,

DO YOU LIKE ME OR HAVE I BEEN WASTING MY TIME? I THINK YOU'RE NICE. NO ONE'S NICE. I SHOWED YOU SOMETHING NO ONE ELSE GETS TO SEE. SHOULD WE TRY SOMETHING? DO YOU READ ME?

Everything is that serious when you're sixteen.

The pirated tape of Talking Heads: 77 sat between them on the bench, and Nancy Wheeler crested the hill with a dog on a leash, and Lacy watched as Jonathan's eyes opened. His shoulders relaxed some and his face took on a faintness of a glow she had recognized, because Steve Harrington had looked at Nancy that very same way a couple of weeks back.

Not a look of distraction. Because they were in the real world now.

Spell broken, bubble popped. The shame that she would ever be so stupid to try something like this blew through her like a harsh gust, snuffing out the hope-- because no matter what she does, what she chances to reveal to boys like Jonathan who operate with a sweetness, who need coaxing, there'll always be kinder. There'll always be better. There'll always be Wheeler.

#powder room talk #Anonymous #this took me forever to write and i must apologize but i hope you enjoy my love #j. byers by powder #jonathan byers x oc #hai brainrot #lacy doevski #blurbs #published by powder #stranger things fic #l. doevski by powder

[seokjinsonlyone]

btw i love how accurately you depict each member cuz 99% of bloggers here make bts seem like discord daddies 😭

but who do you think in bts would be the scariest in an argument with their partner?

to me, I feel like the maknae line would be scary if you made them angry enough like imagine jk swole tatted ass yelling at you and having you backed into a corner idk

listeeeennnn as sexy as they can be sometimes, me and the tannies just go back way too far to only see them in that occasional state of being like… i’ve seen jimin kick himself out of a chair and hobi play celine dion out his nostril on a recorder like u just gotta be fr from time to time 🫡 that being said

i don’t think jk would be the scariest like he may be big nd buff but he’s still a baby our kookoo baby star candy angel prince puppy would get more upset than anything in an argument like i can see him just getting really exasperated if he was tryna explain himself to you but you won’t hearing or believing him like he’ll be more ready to cry than anything like he’s just so accustomed to being our baby light bulb funky little pop star golden maknae that he’s just used to sitting there and taking it so i really believe that in an argument he wouldn’t be that aggressive however i do think that if you pushed him hard enough he would get loud wit you for a second just to shut you up before you make him reach his limit. scary meter: [5/10]

you know who i do think is really scary tho? hobi 😳. he may be all smiles and giggles and sunshine but when you piss him off the dark clouds roll in fr 😬 like say the wrong thing on the right day and you gon be in for something treacherous keep in mind this the same man that threw a banana at jungkook like the last time i heard of throwing a banana at someone was in mario kart now i can’t really see him raising his voice but he WILL back u into a corner like i have a clear vision of him red in the face gritting his teeth spewing straight up venom if y’all get into it real bad. scary meter: [9/10]

now when you think about a bangtan fight it seem like jimin always at the scene of the crime. u got the mandu incident, the time him nd jungkook got into it nd ended up hugging in the rain, on burn the stage when tae nd seokjinnie was having it out he was scolding them afterwards like he just always there for a tussle. so when i imagine fighting with jimin i can just see you popping off on him saying this and that and him talking over you saying this and that until you say sumn crazy and he gon tell you to watch your mouth, get fed up and tell you to leave him alone and don’t call him or something, and then try to storm out (and that’s when you grab his wrist before he makes it out the room and kiss him on da mouf and let him push you up against a wall and y’all make up 😏 way before y’all come to an agreement). scary meter: [6/10]

i think if you were to fight with seokjin i can’t say for surely that it would be super scary but by NO MEANS will it be a pretty sight to see. like we know he like to run his mouth so if y’all fighting he gon get to talking fast neck and ears gonna be red and whatever he saying to you it’s gonna be MEAN if you push him there he will raise his voice but i think that’s about it like your feelings gonna be super hurt at the end of it bc he know exactly which buttons to push but if you’re ever scared it’s gonna be bc you think he leaving bc one thing about seokjin is he not afraid to cut a person off. scary meter: [4/10]

yoongi wouldn’t hurt a fly nor would he give the impression that he would hurt a fly like yeah he's agust d and we’ve seen that the inner rage does exist but he the embodiment of the pen is mightier than the sword like if anything his anger runs cold like you can go ahead with the fussing and fighting and yelling crying carrying on but he not wit da dramatics you can talk to him or you can go somewhere he not doing all that so would he be scary in an argument? nah. scary meter: [3/10]

joonie is a big buff man real tall and muscly but that’s not what makes him scary bc as big and buff as he is he is equally kind and gentle but there's a definite streak of unrefined aggression that lives within him and if you ever tapped into that it'd be bad bc it's like he holds back so much that when the flood gates open you will drown like downturned eyebrows nose scrunched up red in the face volume at 100 he's gesturing wildly got you backed in the corner ya know the WORKS but i do think it'd be a real quick burst tho like he's gonna absolutely lose it for all of a minute before regaining control of his emotions and he'd apologize for talking to you like that immediately. scary meter: [7/10]

hands down 100% tae is the scariest member to fight with like i'm specifically thinking of that time that rumor was being spread and he went on weverse saying he wish he could like stab the reporters with needles or something like that like if at all possible DO NOT piss him off because he is just so firm in all his beliefs and convictions like he is not backing down and i think he is also the most dramatic so if you take him there he's going to make the most of it like it'd be a steady build up him just continuously getting more and more upset until he's stomping around yelling at you like there's slamming doors and harsh words i wouldn't put it above him to punch a hole in the wall depending on the severity of the situation just like he is naawwwttt the one. scary meter: [10/10]

a/n: AGAIN SO SORRY FOR HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO RESPOND TO THIS forgive me 🥺🤲 ALSO LISTEN can not say for surely how firm MY beliefs in this take are bc like i just am not intimidated by people like they just aren't scary to me unless they carrying a gun that's the only time i be scared 💀

#bts #ask of interest #bts fanfiction #bts headcanons #bts x reader #namjoon x oc #seokjin x reader #yoongi fanfic #suga x y/n #j hope fanfic #hoseok x reader #park jimin x you #kim taehyung fanfic #jungkook fanfic

[persephone-ransom]

redraw of an old picture i made back in 2018 hehe

#j x p #oc x canon #xiaolin showdown #digital art #original character #xiaolin oc #perse #my art #jack spicer #redraw #i feel like i haven't drawn them in so long 🥲 this was nice to get out #clenching my fists #their chaotic dynamic is everything to me i hope it comes across to everyone

[magicshopaholic]

Double Take (Hoseok x OC)

Summary: Years after telling the neighbourhood brat to get a life, Hoseok does a double take when he realises she’s no longer the skinny kid who worshipped him once upon a time.

Pairing: Hoseok x OC

Genre: Angst, unrequited love

Word count: 11.7 K

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Parental death, heartbreak, allusions to sex, mentions of alcohol

A/N: It's finally here! I've been waiting so long to finally put this on paper and to get Hobi's storyline up and running. Hope you enjoy one of my favourite OCs and her story. Since this is more of a prologue than anything else, it can be read standalone.

Tagging: @bbl32, @quarter-life-crisis2, @meirkive, @dreaming-with-happiness, @kflixnet (drop a message if you want to be added)

Listen to: “you can't hurry love” by phil collins

hoseok masterlist | main masterlist

When Chaeyoung was a girl, the best person she knew was her older brother. Chanyeol was everything; he was smart, he was kind, he was fun and popular, he was one of the best tennis players in the school and didn’t so much as have a spat with anybody his entire life. He was perfect; in fact, if there was one weakness he had, it was his little sister.

Chaeyoung worshipped him. He was her protector, her best friend, her role model. Every time her parents told her to be more like Chanyeol, it annoyed her only to an extent because why wouldn’t all parents want their kids to be like Chanyeol? He was perfect. From birth to present day, Kang Chanyeol was perfect.

The shift was subtle but crept up on her quickly. Sometime around the time when Chaeyoung was in her last years of elementary school, her mind began to expand. She observed more, listened more, and even started to question herself, but it wasn’t until the middle school sports day that year that it hit her: if there was one person in the world who was cooler than her older brother, it was his best friend, Hoseok.

She would never forget that day. She’d been dragged along by her father and the Jungs to watch the middle-schoolers partake in various sports. She hadn’t been in a good mood; Chanyeol hadn’t been forced to come to her sports day because he had school, and enforcing the reverse had felt grossly unfair. Still, she’d huffed and silently watched the taller kids run around, begrudgingly cheered for her brother when he’d won his tennis trophy, and even taken pictures of various combinations of their family and friends.

By the afternoon, Chaeyoung was becoming tired and cranky. At six years old, she felt ridiculous sitting among adults all day while the other kids hung around with their friends. The day couldn’t end fast enough and when it was finally only the two hundred metre race that was left, she’d breathed a sigh of relief. All her irritation went out the window once the race began, however, and she’d found herself unexpectedly engaged in how close it was. When it ended with Jung Hoseok running through the ribbon, sweaty and victorious, it was like she was seeing a whole different person.

Chaeyoung had known Hoseok for what felt like her entire life. His family had moved to their street when she’d been five, a little over a year after her mother had died. There was the older sister; she looked like an angel the first time Chaeyoung saw her, descending the porch staircase to jog down to catch the school bus. There were the parents who were welcomed to the neighbourhood by her own father who was gardening while a loading truck was parked by their house.

“Chaeyoung! Come and say hello!”

She’d been startled, for she’d been waiting for her own school bus when her father called, but she’d walked over with the confidence of a five year old anyway - when she’d noticed him. A young boy, no older than her brother, was standing silently by his mother’s leg, but with a bright smile on his face. He was scrawny, and slighter than Chanyeol, but seemed taller. Chaeyoung was still staring at him when her brother joined them and when both boys ran into the back of the loading truck at Hoseok’s father’s request, Chaeyoung followed without a second thought.

“Is this yours?” Chanyeol had been asking Hoseok, a gameboy in his hand. Hoseok nodded, the same smile appearing on his face again.

“I got it for my birthday this year,” he’d volunteered almost apologetically, as though needing to provide an explanation for why he had it.

“Cool,” said Chanyeol, sounding impressed. “I just got one, too. For doing well on my exams.” He’d turned the video game in his hands. “Is this the X400? It’s supposed to have Level 12 of the Alien Invasion version…”

Chaeyoung had been watching Hoseok, how his eyes shone as he talked about his video game, how easily her brother had made a new friend. Most importantly, she’d recalled the moment Chanyeol had received the aforementioned gameboy - and how she’d received nothing, because her report card hadn’t been as good as his. She’d gone to bed angry and in tears that night, until her brother had sneaked into her room with his brand new present after everyone had gone to sleep and let her play with it until she’d had her fill.

But this was not the time to dwell on that. There was not a chance in hell that she would be left out of the group because of a gameboy, or lack thereof, and she’d needed to cement the first impression before that happened. So, without thinking about it, Chaeyoung had skipped forward and snatched the gameboy right out of her brother’s hands.

“I’m really good at Alien Invasion, too,” she’d begun to say, interrupting the conversation and starting Chanyeol. Hoseok had broken off mid-word and was staring at her, which made her lose focus for a moment, and somewhere in the commotion, the gameboy fell to the ground and broke in two.

“No!” Hoseok’s face had dropped and he’d rushed to her feet to pick it up, frantically picking up both pieces and turning them around in his hands. “What - what did you do?”

“I’m - I’m sorry,” she’d murmured, suddenly feeling very small and short between the boys as her brother stepped closer to Hoseok, calmly taking the smaller piece and looking for where to fix it. Chaeyoung had stood there, motionless, while Chanyeol calmly figured out how to slide the loose piece back on the game.

“There,” he said after a moment, shaking it gently to see if it was fixed. “I think it’s okay.”

Hoseok’s face had been white as a sheet as he confirmed it, pressing one of the buttons and swallowing thickly as she screen lit up. “Yeah,” he said finally. He’d looked up at Chanyeol, eyes wide and grateful. “Thanks, man.”

“No problem.” Her brother had then looked down at her and tilted his head. “Chae, you want to say sorry?”

She already had, but at that moment, Chaeyoung had obeyed him. “Oh - um, sorry.”

Hoseok had glared at her suspiciously. “It’s really expensive,” he’d blurted, his voice a little wobbly.

“I - I know. It was an accident.”

He’d looked like he wanted to say more, but her father’s voice had floated over to them then, informing them that their school bus had arrived. Both boys, as though they’d been doing it every day of their lives, walked out together like the cool, older nine year olds they were and Chaeyoung was left to trail behind them, boarding the bus just as the door closed behind her.

She’d been peering at the different seats, knowing that no matter what, she and Chanyeol would sit together. He always let her sit with him, even if his friends were there. “Oppa, where do you want to -” But she trailed off when she looked up, her chest feeling funny as she watched her brother introduce the new boy to his group of friends at the back of the bus. As the group mumbled their names and started chattering about mundane things, Hoseok took the seat next to Chanyeol.

It had taken a few seconds for Chaeyoung to realise that she’d have to find a seat of her own, for the first time in her life. Her eyes fell to the gameboy in Hoseok’s hands; he was still fiddling with it as he listened to the others talk to each other. His gaze had met Chaeyoung’s then, and his wide, friendly eyes immediately narrowed, letting her know he wasn’t about to forget what she’d almost done anytime soon. With a jerk, the bus began to move.

It didn’t take long for Hoseok to become an inevitable part of her life; he and her brother quickly became inseparable, and Chanyeol clearly thought highly of him. He fit in seamlessly at school, he was fun and loud and cheerful, and no one she’d met so far had a single bad thing to say about him.

The only person Hoseok seemed to get annoyed by, apart from his own sister sometimes, was his best friend’s sister. Chaeyoung had noticed how he rolled his eyes every time she tried to hang out with them, how she wanted to be included while they were playing video games or when they wanted to ride their bikes to school. At school, Chaeyoung watched her brother and Hoseok grow further and further away from her, both of them in different buildings of the school, in separate cafeterias and with completely separate groups of friends.

But it was a point of pride for her that despite Chanyeol’s growing popularity, she was still his sister. His friends knew it, her friends knew it - and the only person she allowed to be as close to him was Hoseok, only because he was Hoseok. 

At the sports meet, almost a year after the Jungs moved in next door, she felt like she knew what that meant. When she’d seen the waves of cheering for Hoseok when he won the final race, when she watched how his friends gathered around him, how her brother was the first one to hug him, it occurred to her how badly she wanted to be one of them. So, naturally, since no one stopped her, Chaeyoung ran down to the field with the other kids, ready to congratulate him.

She fought her way through, feeling just as proud of him as everyone else seemed to be. She’d known him for as long as she could remember, after all - he was family. With his damp hair, white jersey and infectious smile, it was like she was seeing the sun. He hadn’t seen her yet, though, but once she made it to the front of the crowd, he finally did. 

Chaeyoung didn’t think she’d ever forget the moment their eyes met. How, for a split second, the euphoria seemed directed at her and she felt stirrings in her heart she’d never felt before. Her legs moved automatically and she rushed to hug him, noticing only just before she reached him how his face went slack and his eyes went wide with horror. 

He stepped back the same moment she reached him, causing her to trip and fall onto him as they both crashed to the ground. It was sudden and unexpected, but Chaeyoung hugged him anyway.

“You were amazing!” she started to squeal, only to be roughly pushed away. She fell on her backside with a soft “oof!”, completely confused for a second until she looked up to see Hoseok scrambling to his feet. His expression was one of immense irritation, a direct contrast to what it was a minute prior, as he dusted his hands on his shorts.

“What are you doing, you weirdo?” he snapped, and it was only then that she realised the noise around her hadn’t died down - they just weren’t cheering anymore. They were laughing.

Chaeyoung sat there on the ground, motionless, too stunned to even cry. It wasn’t at all the reaction she was expecting, until she noticed how Hoseok, his face red, was backing away from the crowd as though trying to make himself invisible. It occurred to her only then what was happening; Jung Hoseok, the coolest boy she knew, was shy.

It made her stomach flutter, that she’d made him shy. Even though Hoseok only glared at her after that and wouldn’t even look at her when their families went out to dinner that night, Chaeyoung knew. She knew she’d seen something on Hoseok’s face she’d never seen before, and she was the only one who’d made him look that way. At six years old, Chaeyoung knew she was in love with Jung Hoseok.

—

Chaeyoung couldn’t remember her mother very well. She hadn’t been barely five when the aneurysm had suddenly been detected. There were some quick hospital visits, the walls white and the sheets crisp, before one evening, her father had come to both her and Chanyeol at the house of the neighbour who’d been babysitting them to tell them that their mother had died.

At the time, Chaeyoung hadn’t quite been able to comprehend it. All she knew was that her father was crying - her father - and Chanyeol was trying his absolute hardest not to. She’d sneaked over to her brother’s room that night to comfort him - after all, he did every time she cried - but when she’d reached the doorway and heard his muffled sobs, she’d broken down as well. It was that, even more than her mother’s sudden death, that had made her succumb to tears that night: the fact that for the first time in her memory, her brother - her tall, perfect nine year old brother - was crying.

As the years went by and Chaeyoung began growing up, she’d realised that losing her mother meant more than just the fact that she would have to dress herself for school. There were conversations with friends, playdates at others’ houses, even casual words between Jiwoo and her mother every time the Jungs came over for dinner, that would give Chaeyoung pause and make her wonder what exactly it was that was lacking in her life without a mother.

Of course, given that she hadn’t really known much about her mother, and remembered even less, there was only so much she could speculate about. Then, about four years after her mother’s death, their father had told them about Seoyoon. He’d been very nervous, she’d been able to tell, but everything he’d said after that made no sense to her at all. Next to her, Chanyeol hadn’t reacted much at all until the end, when he’d simply shrugged when their father asked them if they were okay.

“But what about mom?” Chaeyoung had blurted out, not even realising that from the moment the new lady’s name had left her father’s mouth, these had been the only words in her mind, going round and round on a loop.

Her father had tilted his head and looked at her sadly. “Mom…” He’d trailed off for a moment. “Mom will always be your mom. Nobody else will ever be able to take her place. Even in my life,” he’d continued, and he’d reached out and held Chanyeol’s hand, “no one will ever be able to replace her. But Seoyoon is…” He’d blinked rapidly for a few seconds. “At a certain age, sweetheart… it gets too hard to be alone.”

At the time, Chaeyoung had taken this to mean that this new woman, this Seoyoon, was something of a playmate, someone for her father to chat with on the phone and watch movies with once in a while. It still wasn’t the best feeling but she didn’t know how to put it into words, the feeling of seeing something slip through her fingers and being powerless to catch it. She’d looked up at Chanyeol, who was staring at the ground and finally nodded. A moment later, Chaeyoung nodded, too, for if her brother was okay with it, so was she.

When she went up to her room, she suddenly felt terribly lonely. It was too dark and she felt that if she were to cry as loudly as she could, no one would hear her, and no one would care. She thought of her mother, a face she only knew from pictures, a voice she scarcely remembered, and whose touch she could only imagine. She pictured her mother right beside her, understanding everything she was feeling and murmuring quietly, as quiet as the wind, that everything would be alright.

Call me if you need me.

It was one of the only things Chaeyoung had any memory of her mother saying, a vivid picture of her scribbling her cell phone number next to her husband’s on a piece of white card and tucking it safely inside Chaeyoung’s pocket. It was what she said now, sweetly, silently.

I will, Ma.

It was the first night she dreamed Ma into existence. 

Ma stayed after that. She felt like a mother whenever Chaeyoung thought about her, but better than all her friends’ mothers. She never told Chaeyoung to finish her vegetables, she always realised it was unfair when her father would compare her marks to Chanyeol’s, and she always, always took Chaeyoung’s side. When Chaeyoung was annoyed or angry, Ma would be there. Sometimes, even when she was happy, like when she made it onto the football team, Ma was there - not with the other parents in the stands, but right there next to Chaeyoung on the field.

She didn’t know whether to tell Chanyeol. On the one hand, she trusted him more than anybody else in the world - and wasn’t she his Ma, too? But when she tried to broach the topic of their mother once, when he’d been studying and she’d been bursting to tell someone, Chanyeol had been uncharacteristically abrupt with her.

“I don’t want to talk about this, Chae.”

He’d interrupted her when she’d been mid-sentence, and she’d fallen silent. He seemed to realise this, for a moment later he looked up at her and sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I just… I really need to study for this test.” When she only nodded and said nothing, he continued. “Also, now that dad has… now that Seoyoon is here, I just don’t think it’s right to talk about mom.”

If Chaeyoung had been older, if she’d realised that her brother, too, was a child who was doing the best he could, she would have seen this statement as evidence that he was coping with the loss of their mother, just like she was. But in her nine year old wisdom, she took this to mean that Seoyoon was the reason no one could talk about her mother anymore.

Seoyoon was invited for dinner later that week, and again the week after that. After that it became more and more frequent, to the point that she was there when Chaeyoung and her brother returned home from school, and Chanyeol at least stopped seeming surprised.

A couple of months later, her father sat them down and told them his plan. He’d looked nervous yet hopeful, until relief washed over his face when Chanyeol gave him a small smile and nodded in assent.

He’s lying! Chaeyoung wanted to scream, but her voice wouldn’t work, not when her father turned to her and his expression changed from relief to anticipation, as though he was expecting a fight. Chaeyoung didn’t disappoint, and even though she knew he’d do what he wanted anyway, she bit the inside of her cheek and exhaled sharply.

“You promised you wouldn’t forget about mom,” was all she said and at nineyears old, it seemed like the crux of the issue. No matter how much her father tried to convince her he hadn’t, Chaeyoung knew that she, at least, would do everything possible to keep her mother with her.

Later that week her father finally pulled the plug and proposed to Seoyoon. The following weekend, he threw an announcement dinner with the Jungs from next door, where Chaeyoung watched this woman throughout. Her stepmother; this new woman who was sitting in her mother’s kitchen, laughing with her father and giving presents to her and her brother like she’d known them forever. 

Chaeyoung was too startled to do anything but quietly accept it and echo a thank you along with her brother. No one will ever be able to replace your mom, her father had promised. Chaeyoung didn’t know what that meant anymore; all she knew was that there were eight people in the room, four in each family, and that her mother was not one of them.

Sometime during dessert, when there was music playing and the adults were chatting with drinks in their hands, Chaeyoung slipped out of the front door and sat on her porch. Chanyeol was busy with something inside and, anyway, she had no interest in hanging around with him right now. It was rare but it happened, and right now she simply wanted away from all the music and energy.

It was a reasonably chilly night, and she involuntarily shivered when she sat down on the porch. It was quiet as she waited for Ma, and she closed her eyes in wait. A sudden rustling made her eyes snap open, followed by a groan.

“Chaeyoung?”

Her heart instantly zoomed, which seemed to be the default reaction for her body every time Hoseok entered her mind space. She looked up to see him come into view, standing at the edge of the front yard.

“Yeah,” she said immediately, hearing the forced upward lilt in her own voice.

He sighed loudly. “Seriously? Are you following me again?”

Chaeyoung felt herself deflate. This, too, seemed to be a default reaction every time she entered his mind space. 

“No,” she mumbled. “What are you doing out here?” she asked after a moment.

“I lost my keychain this morning. I think I dropped it here.” He sighed, glancing at her begrudgingly. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen it? It’s a Manchester United one.”

Chaeyoung bit her lip. She knew which keychain he was talking about, for not only had she seen it, she had it. She’d seen it fall out of the side pocket of Hoseok’s backpack this morning when all three of them walked to the school bus. As usual, she’d been walking behind both boys, trying to keep up with their conversation as they chattered about something hilarious that had happened during their class field trip yesterday.

Every time she’d tried to interject, they either continued their conversation like they hadn’t heard her, or they would tell her to stop interrupting. When Hoseok finally snapped at her (“Can you please shut up for a second?”), she’d sulked but obliged, feeling rather annoyed again. The final nail in the coffin had been just before they’d been about to board, and a girl in the window - a beautiful, popular thirteen year old girl with pretty curls and blue ribbon - smiled out the window. Chaeyoung had followed her gaze and swallowed as she realised she was smiling at Hoseok - and he was smiling back.

Chaeyoung had felt her heart drop and her teeth grit. As she followed the boys into the bus, she’d spotted something shiny on the ground. Bending down to pick it up, she’d realised what it was and who it belonged to. Before she could talk herself out of it, she pocketed it, knowing that no matter who he smiled at, Hoseok’s favourite keychain with his favourite football team on it belonged to her.

“Nope. Haven’t seen it.”

Hoseok sighed loudly and dramatically, climbing the porch stairs and about to sit down, before apparently thinking better of it. He remained standing, as though afraid of being too close to her and while that would usually break Chaeyoung’s heart enough for her to cry herself to sleep, tonight she simply felt a dull throb and a whole lot of impatience for his snark.

“Why aren’t you inside?” he asked.

“I want to be outside,” she answered defiantly. 

“Okayyy.” 

“Chan’s talking to Cruella in there,” she muttered after a moment. The image of her brother, smiling and graciously welcoming Seoyoon into the family, made her sick. If she’d spent another moment in there, she swore she would’ve thrown up.

Hoseok scoffed. “Chan? Didn’t you get in trouble for calling him by his name?”

She flushed. “Not trouble. Just… it doesn’t matter, okay?” 

“Fine. Whatever.” There was a pause. “Did you just call her Cruella?” When Chaeyoung didn’t answer, he shrugged. “Chanyeol says she’s nice.”

“Well, bully for Chanyeol.”

“God, must you whine?”

“I hate this sweater,” she said, tugging at the brand new gift her father had made her put on. “And I have to wear it because she gave it to me.”

“So? I hate these pants but my mom made me wear them.” He shrugged. “That’s life.”

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. This was Hoseok’s new thing lately: that’s life. She didn’t know where he’d learnt it, but his eventual response to everything was “that’s life”, which irritated her beyond belief. He especially said it to her all the time, as though she was a child that needed reminding about the facts of the world, and it made her blood boil.

“She’s not my mom.”

“All moms are the same. Your mom would’ve told you to wear it, too.”

“You didn’t even know her,” she snapped. 

There was a few seconds of silence as Hoseok presumably processed this, including her unusual tone. “You’re right,” he said, his tone uncharacteristically sober. “Sorry.”

Chaeyoung grit her teeth and hoped she wouldn’t cry in front of him. She would look weak and any hopes of getting him to notice her would go straight out the window. Also, Ma wasn’t here yet and she would only cry to Ma.

“Chanyeol didn’t like her at first either.”

She didn’t know if she’d heard him correctly. “What?”

“Your… Seoyoon. Cruella,” he added, an awkward sort of smile appearing for a second. “Chan didn’t like her when she first got here.”

This was news to hear. “Really? He - he told you?”

“Yeah. Said she talked weird.”

It wasn’t on the list of things that annoyed Chaeyoung, but she took it. It didn’t escape her notice that Chanyeol had failed to mention this to her while confiding in Hoseok about it, but for now, it made her feel just slightly less alone. She turned around to look in through the window again.

“He seems to like her now,” she mumbled. 

“Maybe you will, too. Or he’s faking it.”

Chaeyoung snorted. It felt good to laugh for a moment, even if the situation sucked. “I hope he’s faking it.”

“Really? Why?”

She frowned. “Because… I don’t…” She didn’t know how to put it into words that she didn’t want to be the only one missing her mother. “I don’t want to be the only one who doesn’t like her.”

“Then maybe you should try to like her.”

Chaeyoung bristled. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go. “I don’t want to like her.”

“But why? I mean, aren’t you glad your dad is happy?”

The way he said it, it sounded like the most obvious thing in the world. But when Chaeyoung turned around to look inside again, for the first time all night, her gaze shifted from her brother to her father. There was something heartbreaking about how happy he looked, but Chaeyoung didn’t know just how to express that while it was a nice sight, it only made her miss her mother even more.

She said nothing, though, resolving only to keep Ma her secret forever. Her dad and brother didn’t need nor want Ma, and Chaeyoung was fine not sharing. 

Next to her, Hoseok sighed. “It’s cold. I’m going inside.”

All thoughts of her soon to be stepmother vanished. “Wait!” When he halted and turned around, eyebrows raised, her heart thumped against her ribcage. “Why - why are you being nice to me?”

Even in the darkness, she could see the hint of a blush on his face. But his next words wiped away any scenarios her imagination may have created. “You’re Chan’s sister,” he said, shrugging, his hands in his pockets. “I have to be nice to you.”

—

The day Hoseok left for Seoul, Chaeyoung thought she would die. 

Everyone was thrilled for him, it looked like. He was going to follow his dreams, they said. His parents seemed nervous but proud, his sister called from Australia, telling him to take care of himself. Even Chanyeol, who she’d thought would be distraught since he’d be losing his best friend, was irritatingly supportive.

“He’s going to be an idol,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing. They were at the dining table in their house, a week before Hoseok was meant to leave. “He’s meant for it. Haven’t you seen him dance?”

Chaeyoung stared at him, incredulous. Seen him? She lived and breathed him - of course she knew how he could dance, that he was meant to be an idol and whatnot. 

“That - that’s not my point,” she stuttered, her chopsticks feeling like water between her fingers. “How is he - his life is here. His school, his friends, his… everyone.”

Chanyeol, now sixteen, squinted at her. “He’ll make new friends. He’s good at that.”

“Yes, but he’s your best friend. Won’t you - won’t you miss him?”

He chewed his food thoughtfully. “I mean… sure. I guess. We’ll text and stuff.” He shrugged.

Chaeyoung blinked. “Text,” she repeated.

“Yeah. What’s the big deal? You’re acting like he’s dying.”

“Chaeyoung,” said Seoyoon, her voice soft and melodic, “it’s okay to miss him, too. He’s like family.”

She met her stepmother’s eyes. “Yeah. Not really what I was getting at.” 

Next to her, Chanyeol rolled his eyes, while her father said her name sternly. Seoyoon simply placed a hand on his arm and muttered “it’s okay”, while Chaeyoung was left to silently resent how, out of everyone at the table, including Ma, Seoyoon was the one who had the nerve to say it out loud.

It felt like the worst thing that could happen, and it felt directly targeted at her. His parents would always be his parents, his sister had already left for Australia a year ago, and Chanyeol was his best friend in the world. Chaeyoung was none of these things, however, and it felt like if he left now, he’d be gone from her life forever.

The first night, she cried for hours. It was as though she could feel his absence next door. She fell asleep gazing at a picture of she, Chanyeol and Hoseok on her nightstand, taken during a family trip to Jeju Island. The next day at school, she walked around like a war widow, with puffy eyes and her books clutched to her chest. At lunch, she sat surrounded by her friends, feeling like they would never understand, never know true heartbreak and true pain.

A week later, things were easier. Chaeyoung made the middle school football team, just like her brother had, and after-school practice meant less time to miss the love of her life. Then exams happened, and birthday parties, and before she knew it, it was next year.

Hoseok was forgotten by no one; the Jungs came over for dinner just as often as they did before, but only two kids out of four meant that the dinner was more for the adults to stay in touch than anything else. Chanyeol got busy with applying to colleges, while Chaeyoung, for the first time, had her life laid bare in front of her. With no Chanyeol and Hoseok to follow around, her own friends, her own studies and her own life were suddenly at the forefront.

Hoseok was still on her mind, though. She looked at the picture on her bedside table every night, kept his Manchester United keychain in her backpack, and told all her friends about the day she would date an idol. “He’ll become an idol and then he’ll come back,” she said, for it seemed incredibly obvious. Her friends, no strangers to her lifelong crush, were part supportive and part envious, which only thrilled thirteen year old Chaeyoung even more. 

Chanyeol was right about one thing, though. He and Hoseok texted - and only texted. She hadn’t a clue if and when they actually spoke, and she spent hours daydreaming about the day he’d call her, because as much as he pretended like he couldn’t stand her, one day he would surely wake up and realise how much he missed her. They were family, after all.

He finally did call one day - or rather, he was called. It was his seventeenth birthday, and they were at the Jungs’ house for lunch when Hoseok’s father decided to call his son, putting it on video as everyone said hello and wished him. The first thing that Chaeyoung noticed was how narrow his face was; it was unexpected, but he still looked as handsome as ever and she only hoped that he’d notice her new haircut, too.

It was chaotic; Hoseok was speaking hurriedly, saying he didn’t have much time. The phone was passed down from adult to adult, everyone wishing him and making typical grown-up comments about what a big man he was, living by himself in Seoul. The phone was then swiftly passed to Chanyeol, who simply stood up and began walking away into another room, going “Dude, you won’t believe what happened at Eunwoo’s party last week…”

Chaeyoung knew she had to wait before it was her turn - but it was just so hard. She was almost giddy with happiness; she’d missed him so much. There was so much she had to tell him and so much she wanted to know, including when he was planning to come back. But when five minutes passed and Chanyeol didn’t return, and the adults had moved to some boring topic of conversation, Chaeyoung decided to take matters into her own hands.

Hopping off her chair, she retraced her brother’s steps and found him in the pantry of the house, sitting atop a stool and laughing into the phone as he held it up in front of him. He caught her eyes above the phone and she tried to signal to him to give her the phone.

“- and it was… what?” He frowned before apparently catching on. “Oh, uh… do you, uh, want to talk to Chae? She -”

But Hoseok’s voice interrupted him, shrill through the speaker. “Oh, God, no.”

Chanyeol’s eyes flickered to his sister. “Hey, man -”

“Dude, no, not today. I’ve had a bad enough day so far,” he said, sounding more weary than ever. “Don’t make me talk to your sister right now. Let that be my birthday gift,” he quipped, clearly oblivious to how Chaeyoung stood behind the phone, frozen to the ground.

“Oh, um…” Chanyeol sighed, tilting his head sympathetically at his sister as Hoseok said a hurried goodbye. “Yeah, yeah… have a good day.” There was a beep and the call ended. Chanyeol took a few moments before meeting Chaeyoung’s eyes again.

“I don’t - I don’t understand,” she said, feeling like her voice wasn’t even hers, like it was coming from somewhere else. “Why - why doesn’t he want to talk to me?”

Chanyeol opened his mouth but seemed to think better of it, standing up and moving to walk past her. “Just ignore it. Come on, let’s go back -”

“No, wait.” She stopped him. “Tell me. I - I thought… I thought he missed home. You said he missed being home,” she repeated, hearing her voice tremble. “Why didn’t he want to talk to me?” And why did it look like you understood?

“Chae, just - just let it go, alright?”

“No! I’m his family! Why doesn’t he want to -”

“Because you’re telling everyone that you’re his family!” Chanyeol blurted, looking fed up. “Jesus, Chae! Everyone knows you have a crush on him, but you don’t have to make it so damn public!”

Her face reddened. “I don’t have a crush on -”

“Oh, please. It was okay when you were younger but then you started following him around school and stuff… come on, can you blame him for being embarrassed?”

Chaeyoung shook her head. Nothing he was saying was making sense. “What are you talking about? He wasn’t embarrassed, he was - he was shy. He didn’t -”

“Seriously?”  This time, even Chanyeol looked incredulous. “Chae, you told your friends that you were going to marry him when his crew won that inter-school competition in ninth grade. One of them told her older sister and suddenly everyone knew. You really thought that would make him shy?”

It took everything Chaeyoung had in her to not cry. “But - but he never said anything. He - he always…” But that wasn’t true. He said a lot of things. He was perpetually annoyed with her, and every time that she ever wondered why he was so sweet and sunny with everyone but her… it seemed she finally had an answer. “Why didn’t he ever tell me to stop?” she asked in a small voice.

“Because you’re my sister,” he replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What was he going to say?”

You’re Chan’s sister. I have to be nice to you. At the time, it was proof to her of how close their families were, of how they were family. But now she realised it was none of those things, just Hoseok admitting what he and everyone else apparently knew: were it not for his best friend, Jung Hoseok would have absolutely nothing to do with Kang Chaeyoung.

She found it hard to meet her brother’s gaze. There was a stinging on her lower lip where she tasted blood, and then a stinging in her eyes. It was a time in her life when she and Chanyeol weren’t as close as they once were, and she was faced with a sudden and irrational fear that if she cried right now, he would tell Hoseok about it.

Chanyeol took a step towards her. “Chae -”

She started to shake her head when they were interrupted, and she turned to see Hoseok’s father approaching the pantry. 

“There you two are,” he said cheerfully, sounding far too much like his son for Chaeyoung to handle. “I need my phone. Oh, Chanyeol, help me bring down the barbecue for tonight, come on…” He brushed past her and patted Chanyeol on the back, who nodded respectfully and made way for him. “Oh, Chaeyoung, your mother was asking where you were - there’s strawberry cream for dessert and she says it’s your favourite…”

Chaeyoung nodded in a daze, turning away from Chanyeol and walking out of the room. The dining area felt miles away and every step made her feel like she was on a treadmill. Finally, after what seemed like ages, she reached the dining table and took her seat. She ignored Seoyoon when she offered her dessert, her eyes on her empty plate the whole time. Even when Chanyeol returned and tried to get her to look at him, muttering “Chae? Are you okay?”, she simply nodded once but didn’t dare look at him.

That night, the first thing Chaeyoung did when she went to her room was take out the picture from the frame on her bedside table and slip it into one of her books. She hunted through every photo album she had and finally chose a picture of her with the rest of her football team, a group of thirteen year old girls holding up small gold trophies and grinning into the camera.

It felt like a step in the right direction, for if she needed to stop embarrassing Hoseok, it needed to begin right here in her bedroom. As she stared at the picture, trying to talk herself into liking it, into realising that these girls, her friends, were more important than a guy who wouldn’t even let her wish him a happy birthday, she felt the first sob wrack through her body.

She imagined what Ma would say. Ma didn’t appear to her like she did before; it was just her voice now, saying things that Chaeyoung wanted to hear. Right now, she imagined Ma would tell her that Hoseok hated her, that there was no point loving someone who hated her. He’s only nice to you because of Chanyeol, she said, her voice soothing and familiar. So why are you nice to him?

“Because he’s perfect,” she cried softly, feeling like her heart would break. She’d never felt this horrible, she knew. Even Chanyeol couldn’t make this better; in fact, he’d only made it worse. How long had he known? How could he have gone all this time, knowing what he did, and continue letting her make a fool of herself? Did he laugh about her with Hoseok? Did she embarrass him, too? 

She thought of her father, how he’d sigh at her every time she got into trouble at school. How he and Chanyeol would both give her a look when she didn’t fake it with the stepmother. Hoseok’s face as he rolled his eyes floated through her mind. It was a kick in the gut as she thought it: How many people was she disappointing at once? 

—

Bangtan Sonyeondan was a cool name. It was a fact, and even though Chaeyoung was very careful to not let it show on her face, their debut single was really cool.

Chanyeol’s class had long graduated by now. Chaeyoung, at fifteen, was at the peak of her school career so far. While she’d been initially wary of Chanyeol graduating, leaving her completely alone for the first time, it turned out to be just what she’d needed to step out of his shadow once and for all. No one had forgotten him, but they remembered just enough to know she was.

Everyone in the school knew when Hoseok debuted. It was a huge point of pride for the school that one of their former students was now an idol and for a good few weeks, every single person in the school was humming No More Dream. It was catchy as hell, and Hoseok was amazing in it - not that Chaeyoung was noticing.

Ever since the phone call that was not meant to be, Chaeyoung had attempted to distance herself from everything Jung Hoseok. It was the hardest thing in the world at first, but eventually real life took precedence over daydreams, studies took importance over doodling his name, and her real friends ended up being more fun to hang out with than a fictionalised version of him in her mind.

Once she’d managed to let him go, she’d been pleasantly surprised to find how much of a life she was able to have outside of him. It turned out that, for the most part, people seemed to like her. In one of her birthday cards, the most frequent words used by people was “fun” - she was fun, apparently. She wasn’t sure what exactly that meant, until one day in ninth grade when she’d convinced a few friends to skip a class. They’d gotten away with it, and she’d been hailed as “so fun”.

Life continued, fun and everything. Chanyeol left Gwangju for Seoul when he went to college and, she imagined, got back in touch with Hoseok. She still texted her brother reasonably often, whenever they had the time. Now that they’d reached a certain age and stage of their own lives, their initial relationship had started to become slightly more distant. 

It wasn’t something that even occurred to Chaeyoung except for in certain moments, like their mother’s birthday. On those days, she missed Chanyeol more than anything. To his credit, he was mostly there for her when she needed him, but to her credit, she tried not to need him too much.

A few months before her sixteenth birthday, Hoseok returned to Gwangju for three days. It was a huge deal, for he’d apparently had to negotiate a lot for even those days off. Chanyeol was back then, too, and naturally both families wanted to make the best of it.

Despite the fact that Chaeyoung, for all intents and purposes, was over her crush on Hoseok by now, it still evoked a sense of quiet excitement in her stomach. She didn’t seek him out, but she made sure not to leave her room until she was perfectly dressed and her hair was impeccable, ready to breeze past him without a care in the world, determined to show him how much she’d grown without him.

As it turned out, she didn’t see him that morning. She didn’t see him that evening after school, or that night. In fact, she didn’t see him all weekend; Hoseok seemed to have a ton of friends to visit, and he and Chanyeol were gone for practically the entire time.

Chaeyoung wished she’d just catch a glimpse of him - not because she missed him or anything, but because the longer it took to see him, the higher the anticipation got. She’d managed to put their last humiliating not-interaction to the back of her mind eventually, but the longer she waited to see him, the more she ended up reliving it.

On Hoseok’s last night, there was a dinner at the Jungs. Unlike the last time he left for Seoul, when no one knew what his future would hold, this time he was leaving as a successful debuted idol. The dinner, therefore, was more of a farewell party, with a few more of his friends invited, all of whom Chaeyoung remembered from school.

Chaeyoung tried her hardest to stay out of everyone’s way. She didn’t trust herself around Hoseok, particularly because now that he was here, actually in the flesh, she was begrudgingly being reminded of everything that she’d once loved about him.

Don’t go down that rabbit hole, Chae, Ma said, as Chaeyoung hovered near the kitchen, nibbling at her nails. Hoseok had brushed past her once or twice, giving her a perfunctory “hi” which only served to make her feel ridiculous, because it was clear that he wasn’t devoting even a fraction of the mind space to her that she was to him.

Towards the end of the night, given that it was a Sunday, Chaeyoung knew that she would be sent home soon. It was a school night and the older kids were chattering about going out for a while longer, so she knew that if she didn’t speak to Hoseok now, there would be no telling if she’d ever be able to get this out.

Finally, around ten pm, when she saw him go upstairs to his room, she followed him. She tried hard to ensure that no one saw her but when she finally reached his doorway, she realised that none of it mattered because she had no idea what to say.

Chaeyoung cleared her throat. “Hoseok oppa?” she said gingerly.

He whipped around, turning away from the bag he seemed to be packing. She didn’t fail to notice how his face fell when he realised who it was; she tried not to let that get to her. 

“Uh… what are you doing here?” he asked, sounding almost wary. His eyes darted around the room as though expecting to get caught by someone.

“I just wanted to say hi,” she managed, her heart racing. He looked… incredible. Nineteen became him. He looked thin but fit, and his hair was cut stylishly so it fell across his forehead. Swallowing, she continued. “And… I wanted to apologise.”

“Uh, okay - look. You’re in my room. Anyone can see you,” he informed her. “So you should probably -“ He gave her a knowing nod and gestured towards the door.

It stung, but she held her ground, stepping inside his room and shutting the door behind her. Leaning back against it, she exhaled. “Is that better?”

Hoseok’s look of pure horror was enough to tell her that it was, in fact, not better, but she’d had enough distractions now. 

“Look, I don’t need too much of your time. I just…” She looked at her feet, trying to find the courage to continue. “I wanted to… apologise,” she said finally.

Hoseok frowned. “For what?” he asked suspiciously.

“For… everything? I guess.” She swallowed, forcing herself to continue looking up at him. “It was brought to my attention a while back that I may have… embarrassed you.” She paused as the words settled around them, having said it out loud for the first time ever. “I know I was probably a bit annoying and I didn’t - I wasn’t very… cool.”

Hoseok looked more confused than anything now and she couldn’t blame him, for she didn’t think she was making any sense either. But he hadn’t asked her to leave yet, which was more encouragement than she could hope for. 

“Honestly, when I think back to some of the things I did…” She trailed off for a moment, shaking her head. “I cringe a little bit. Okay, that’s a lie. I cringe a lot.”

He nodded slowly, and she didn’t know if she’d imagined the fleeting look of amusement on his face. 

“So, anyway. I’m sorry.”

“Okay.”

Huh. Chaeyoung didn’t know what else she was expecting, but his tone made it pretty clear that their heart to heart was over. “Okay, then. I’ll just… go.” She turned to open the door, only to see about four of his friends standing right outside. Chanyeol wasn’t one of them. They were clearly waiting for Hoseok, possibly giving him privacy because of the closed door, but the moment one of them spotted her, his eyes went wide.

“Oh, my -”

“Oh, God,” muttered Hoseok from behind her.

“Dude.” A second guy, Hyungmin, seemed to smile in slow motion, as though he was suddenly uncovering some huge joke. He nudged the first guy and snorted. “The happy couple is back!”

Chaeyoung wrinkled her nose. “What?”

But her voice was drowned out among the hoots, all loud and obnoxious. She turned back to Hoseok, possibly for an explanation, only to see him rolling his eyes before he suddenly glared at her.

“I don’t even know what she’s doing here,” he said stonily, and her heart skipped a confused beat.

“What? I -”

“Hey, Chan, get up here!” One of the other guys interrupted her, leaning over the railing and shouting into the house. “You’ll never guess who was in Hobi’s room - with the door closed!”

“Dude, he’s gonna kill him,” snickered Hyungmin, giving Hoseok a  mock-sympathetic look. 

“Alright, isn’t this joke, like, a million years old?” he asked, sounding thoroughly unimpressed.

“It was, but now she’s getting hot and all,” said the third guy, whom Chaeyoung only remembered as the one who was invited because he had a car. He gave her a side glance and raised an eyebrow. “Now it means all kinds of -

“Dude, what the fuck?” Hoseok groaned, while Hyungmin slapped his shoulder with the back of his hand and hissed, “She’s a kid.”

“Well, she doesn’t look like -”

“Chan is going to kill you if you don’t -”

“Hey, what’s going on up there?” Chanyeol’s voice floated up, interrupting everyone. “Are we leaving or what?”

There was a momentary pause when it seemed as though no one knew how to respond. Then Hoseok rolled his eyes and strode out of the room. “Come on, let’s go,” he muttered, and fortunately, his friends followed his lead. As he passed Chaeyoung, he glared at her.

“How do you manage to ruin everything?” he hissed. “I told you to get out of my room.”

“I - I know.” Chaeyoung heard her voice tremble. “I didn’t think they would -”

“Really? Because it’s so different from what they’ve been doing the last ten years?” He gave her another exasperated look, like she wasn’t worth his time. “Why can’t you just disappear?” he muttered, knocking into her shoulder as he left the room.

Chaeyoung stayed there for a minute, humiliated, her feet rooted to the floor. She didn’t know whether it was his friend’s comments about her, the way they were talking about her like she wasn’t right there in front of them, or whether, after all these years, Hoseok had finally told her the truth.

Why can’t you just disappear?

She glanced into his room again, her eyes running over the taped posters on the wall, the folded bed sheets, a set of clothes draped neatly over the chair. She’d come here in hopes of maybe moving past everything that had caused him to avoid her all these years. Now, she wished she hadn’t said anything at all. 

Chaeyoung rushed home after that, not wanting to wait for Seoyoon to croon over at her to do so. She didn’t think anyone even noticed; she ran out the front door, glad for the empty hallway from where she could hear everyone else in the dining room. The night was dark and chilly, and she hopped over the short fence to her front yard, slamming her door behind her before hurrying upstairs.

She wouldn’t cry this time, she vowed, even as she wiped angry tears forming of their own accord. She was sick of it, sick of everything. She was sick of those stupid friends Chanyeol still hung out with, she was sick of how Hoseok instantly became a different person when it came to her, she was sick of her stepmother, her family - but most of all, she completely sick of how, even after all these years, the things Hoseok said still had the ability to hurt her.

She hadn’t grown up at all, clearly. Nothing had changed. She would forever hold a candle for her brother’s best friend, even if, until two days ago, she’d been somewhat preoccupied by the fact that Nam Sehun from the other section had a rumoured crush on her. 

She looked up from where she was sitting at the corner of her bed when she heard a faint sound of laughter and a shout. Dragging her feet to the window, she saw a car pull out from the Jungs’ driveway, music emanating from it until it screeched to a sudden stop.

“Hurry up, man!” One of the guys shouted as another leapt out of the car, scurrying back to the house. The party must be over. Before she knew it, everyone else would be back home.

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes and stepped away from the window, too tired to care. As she stripped and retrieved an old t-shirt and pajamas from the closet, she found herself feeling more and more stupid by the second. She’d made more of an effort than she’d realised apparently; even the bra she was wearing was something she’d purposely picked out, possibly in an effort to show Hoseok that she’d grown up - except it hadn’t worked, and the only person who seemed to notice it was Chanyeol’s creepy friend.

Pulling on her clothes, she trudged to the bed, ready to nurse another broken heart and fall asleep forever, when she heard a knock.

“Fuck,” she whispered, not in the mood to face her stepmother and her fake concern right now. The knock sounded again and she swore under her breath. “No one’s home,” she called, hoping she’d take the hint.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s true,” said the voice outside, and Chaeyoung felt a jolt in her stomach. She walked over and opened the door gingerly to see Hoseok, quite possibly the last person she’d ever expected to see outside her room. It suddenly occurred to her how much taller he was; it vaguely intimidated her, until he bit his lip and sighed, looking at the floor.

Chaeyoung was about to ask what he was doing here, but something in his posture made her want to wait him out. So she continued standing there, one hand on her hip and the other on her door.

Hoseok’s eyes flickered up to her and he opened his mouth before he seemingly noticed something behind her. “A colour-changing lava lamp?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Is that a high school girl thing?”

She stared. “You’re wearing a snapback at night. Is that a Seoul thing?”

He paused before sighing and taking it off. “I knew it looked stupid,” he muttered, ruffling his messy black hair.

“No, it doesn’t,” she said automatically, wincing slightly at how desperate she sounded. It was too hard to think straight around him. “I - what are you doing here?” she asked, slightly nervous. “Aren’t you afraid your friends will see you in my room?”

“Uh, no. They’re downstairs.”

She nodded. “That’s… good thinking.”

There was an awkward silence where neither of them looked at each other and for the first time in her life, she wished Hoseok would leave her alone.

“Look, um…” Hoseok began slowly, as though every word was taking a great effort. “About before… I know you were just trying to apologise. I shouldn’t have…” He looked up, as though hoping for a prompt. When he received none, he sighed again. “I’m sorry.”

“Okay.” Chaeyoung nodded.

“Right.” After a moment, he spoke again. “Also… Joonho’s an ass.”

She bit her lip and folded her arms across her chest, a little protectively. “Yeah.”

“Anyway… I just came to say that.” He gestured vaguely behind him. “I should head.”

“Sure.”

He turned around halfway before pausing again, squinting slightly at her. “You do understand why I got mad, right? I mean, this wasn’t just about tonight. But it’s like every time that you’re around -”

“Yeah, I understand,” she said quickly, gritting her teeth. The more she looked at him, the less it looked like he cared at all. He didn’t care. He had no idea how much she’d loved him when she was younger, he had no idea how much she regretted her behaviour now, and he had no idea how humiliating it was to stand here and realise that she had no idea who he was at all.

Hoseok looked a little taken aback at her interruption. “Oh? Okay. Uh, good, then.”

“M-hm.”

“I’m gonna go.”

“You do that.”

This time when he turned to leave, Chaeyoung stopped him. “Oppa, wait.” She went to her desk and rifled through a drawer, feeling the cool metal against her fingers before bringing out the object. “I think this is yours,” she said, handing it to him.

He extended his hand automatically, frowning as she dropped it into his palm. “Is this -” He squinted at it. “Oh, my God. This is my keychain.”

“Yeah.” She cleared her throat, feeling distinctly lighter all of a sudden. 

“I lost it years ago.” He looked up at her. “How - how did you find it?”

“Oh, I - I found it in a box of stuff, in the attic.” She shrugged and folded her arms across her chest again. “You must have dropped it here, I guess.”

“Wow.” He nodded, looking slightly more chipper as he shoved the keychain into his pocket. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” A sudden honk sounded outside and it felt like it was reverberating through her chest. “You should go.”

“Yeah.” He raised a hand halfway, like he was saying goodbye to someone he met in line at a bookstore. “See you around, Chae.”

“See you.” She stepped forward to shut the door, watching him walk out of her room and out of her house. Before she could lose her nerve, she spoke again. “The new single is… really cool.”

He was almost at the foot of the stairs when he stopped and looked up at her. For the first time in her memory, Hoseok smiled at her, a real, genuine smile. It was like the sun had come out, and as he thanked her and continued on his way, it occurred to Chaeyoung that it was quite possibly the only time she’d ever see it.

— 

That night was the last time Chaeyoung saw Hoseok for several years. She heard from his parents that he barely had time to eat or sleep, let alone come back to visit his family. He did return for a weekend once, but she’d been away on a school trip with her football team at the time. Apart from that, Hoseok was as far out of her life as was possible.

When she was seventeen, Chaeyoung entered her first relationship. He asked her out by the water cooler after a week of rumours, and their tryst lasted a whole month until she broke up with him in the biology lab, feeling rather smothered by how he insisted on showing up at all her football practices. He didn’t take it well and responded with rumours of his own, following which Chaeyoung’s reputation began preceding her.

Her seventeenth birthday party took place a month before she graduated high school and since she was leaving Gwangju, an unexpected nostalgia caused her to invite every single person she knew. A month later she graduated along with her friends, partied for a week straight until she spent the rest of the summer waiting until she could leave for college in Busan. She did the same a year later for her eighteenth birthday, and since it occurred in the summer, all her friends were back in Gwangju and able to attend.

As it turned out, the only thing remaining that could ensure that Chaeyoung lived her own life with no ties to her brother was leaving Gwangju. In college, she had the opportunity to be who she was. Everyone was figuring it out, and she joined them. She paid attention to the classes she liked, spent nights in the library and in dorms as people quizzed each other, went on weekend trips, had boyfriends, joined college clubs - everything that gave her the satisfaction that she’d made the best out of her college years.

The most stressful time of those years came right at the end, when everyone was applying for jobs. After months of gruelling essays, internships and interviews, Chaeyoung managed to get what she considered her dream job. Her father wasn’t too certain about it; he said it didn’t “sound like a real job” but after her stepmother pitched in during their video call and persuaded him to give it a chance, he gave in.

Chaeyoung didn’t care; it gave her the same vibes as her favourite English movie, The Devil Wears Prada. Condé Nast wasn’t a magazine per se but her job wasn’t exactly that of a secretary either; the role simply said research and while she would’ve liked it to be a bit more specific - maybe columnist - she was willing to pay her dues, especially if it meant getting to live in Seoul, not wearing boring formal clothes to work and possibly working with some truly fancy brands like GQ or Vogue someday.

Moving to Seoul was less romantic than she’d expected; it was a busy, expensive city and no one had time to stop and take a breath, let alone help out a twenty-one year old who’d just moved to the city.

It’s all part of the experience, her inner voice said to her, the one she’d dubbed Ma when she was little. It was less of a coping mechanism and more of a conscience now, and it was what convinced her to move into an apartment in Hongdae with a senior she’d known back in college.

Sungmi was nice and all, but she intimated Chaeyoung a little bit. Her many piercings, her abrupt way of talking and her strange sense of humour always had Chaeyoung on edge. She also had this boyfriend who smelled perpetually of weed and had a cousin he frequently invited over, making it not the ideal living arrangement. Still, even Chaeyoung had to admit that despite the aesthetics, Sungmi had been living in Seoul by herself for nearly a year and was holding onto a good job at a catering company. Most importantly, she was offering her spare room at really low rent, something Chaeyoung was currently giving top priority to.

Plus, the best thing about Sungmi’s apartment was the parties.

“Get, um…” Sungmi moves away from the speaker and asks someone something. “Everything,” she says finally. “Just make sure there’s Absinthe and Bacardi in it and we’ll be good. I’m trusting you, Chaeyoung,” she adds knowingly, abruptly hanging up.

Faced with a plethora of bottles before her in the liquor store, Chaeyoung sighs. She isn’t even fully sure what this party is for, except that vodka and rum are required in large quantities. 

“Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder, I guess,” she mutters, holding the plastic basket up as she scans the shelves, feeling a strange sense of responsibility towards her older roommate’s expectations.

Meanwhile, Jung Hoseok is near the fridges, rattling off the different beer brands to Jimin on the phone.

“I feel like wheat beer,” says Jimin thoughtfully, “but think about the calories.” He pauses as someone says something at his end. “And Taehyung wants that fruity soju.” He whines as Taehyung says something else loudly. “Okay, specifically green apple.”

Hoseok stands there, motionless, as Jimin goes through a minor Friday evening crisis. “Got it. Now, Jimin, you have about thirty seconds to make your decision before I leave this place. Beer-less.”

The younger member sighs heavily. “Alright, just get me a six pack of Corona,” he says finally, as though with a huge effort. “It’s always safe.”

Hoseok closes his eyes and counts to five in his mind, hoping he won’t snap at Jimin for wasting his time debating some random Swedish beer before ultimately deciding on Corona. “Will do.” He hangs up.

Once he has everything, he goes through the list on his phone again, hurriedly making sure he has everything for everyone. As he reaches the end of the list, he realises there’s only one thing remaining.

He spots a clerk at the end of the aisle and looks away. He’s managed so far without being recognised; he’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible. He shuffles towards the spirits, peering at the names and hoping the bottle appears all of a sudden when finally - finally - he spots the green label, the only one of its kind.

“Thank god,” he whispers and reaches for it, the same time as another hand wraps around the bottle. He flinches and withdraws his hand immediately before turning to see the only other person in the entire liquor who could possibly need Absinthe.

Something clicks in Hoseok’s brain, like a track being slowed down in post-production. “Wait…”

She raises her eyebrows. “You really don’t recognise me?”

Hoseok chuckles. It’s too unbelievable. “Dude, I think I saw you at more family dinners than my sister. Wow, Chaeyoung,” he says, taking a step back to look at her. Is she taller? “You look… older.”

“I am. Significantly. And you look…” Chaeyoung frowns and bites her lip, as though searching for something. “… blonder.” She nods as he reaches for his cap and pulls it down further over his head, tucking the few loose strands under the cloth.

“Yeah, that’s… work.” There’s a few seconds of awkward silence that makes Hoseok uncomfortable. They were never friends, but he can’t remember ever being this… unsettled around her. It’s almost like she’s a work acquaintance he’s run into, not the kid he grew up next door to.

He realises he hasn’t said anything and immediately scrambles. “Uh, so… what are you doing here? Wait, what are you doing here?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a liquor store. I mean, you’re - you drink?”

“Yeah… I’m twenty-one. Almost twenty-two.” She bites her lips and shakes her head. “I don’t know why I said that. I just turned twenty-one.”

It takes Hoseok a moment to process this. She certainly looks older…

“Wow. Twenty-one.”

“I know.” Chaeyoung looks around before her gaze lands on the bottle still in her hand. “Oh, you can have this.”

“Oh, that’s alright. I don’t need it.”

She raises her eyebrows. “No? You don’t need it for, like… a famous person party?”

He chuckles awkwardly. “Oh, no. A friend of ours, Nari, is coming over tonight and she was the only one who wanted Absinthe.”

“Oh, then you can take it for Nari.”

“Nah, she just wants to get hammered,” he replies, shaking his head. “That can be done with anything. She doesn’t get time off from her job so when she does, she likes to go all out and that includes, unfortunately, a lot of vodka, but I’m sure whiskey would do the trick just as -“ He breaks off when he notices Chaeyoung’s tilted head and slight frown.

“I’ll take it,” she says after a moment. “My roommate’s having a party tonight. Many people need to get hammered with this.”

“Roommate, nice. Wait, are you living in Seoul?”

She nods. “Yeah. Just moved here.”

Too much is happening for Hoseok to process in one trip to the liquor store. “You -“ He pauses. “Does Chanyeol know?” he asks in a low voice.

Chaeyoung chuckles. “Yeah, he knows. My dad knows, too.”

It’s the first glimpse he’s seen so far of the old Chaeyoung, the deliberate omission of her stepmother. But he knows better than to acknowledge it. “Wow, you - you really grew up.”

She gives him an odd look and opens her mouth to say something but then closes it, as though changing her mind. “I did,” she agrees.

Hoseok knows he should be saying something more, maybe offering something - for Chanyeol’s sake. But what is he meant to say to someone he can barely recognise? She’s actually taller, from what he can remember. Her hair isn’t in ponytails anymore and she’s standing differently, too, somehow…

But before he can wrack his brain for the right words, Chaeyoung takes a deep breath.

“I should go.” She holds up the bottle of Absinthe. “Thanks for this.”

“Oh, of course,” he says, nodding and stepping aside. As she brushes past him, he frowns again: is she wearing perfume? Chaotic, skinned-knee, football-playing Chaeyoung?

But the moment passes him and so does Chaeyoung. Before leaving, she raises a hand halfway. “It was nice running into you, Hoseok.”

“Yeah,” he says softly, watching her for a moment as he tries to put his finger on why everything seems so strange. His phone pings then, though, and he remembers the errand he was running. He needs to find an alternative to Absinthe now and move on from one of the more surreal experiences of his life.

He takes a couple of steps forward before something else clicks, and he can finally put his finger on at least one thing.

“Wait,” he says slowly, turning around but not even really trying to spot her near the check-out line. “What did you call me?”

—

Thank you for reading. Don’t forget to drop a review :)

#hoseok x oc #hoseok x reader #hoseok fanfic #hobi x reader #hobi fanfic #btswritingcafe #thebtswritersclub #btshoneyhive #bangtanbathhouse #bangtanwhq #houseofddaeng #btscarnivalnet #kvanity #bangtanoasis #wkcnet #j-hope fanfic #hyunglinenetwork

[pandorasword]

I just wanted to say that I love your blog and Chaeri ❤️ I’m really interested about the dynamics she has with the guys.. if you’re into answering this type of questions I wanted to ask you something: There’s the trend on tiktok about the Eminem’s song mockingbird.. could you separate the guys in the “two types of man” for her? Thank you

Chaeri as the 8th and youngest member of BTS.

❲ Thank you so much! I would love to get more questions like this, it's fun to answer and gives me a chance to fully explain the relationship between BTS and Chaeri ♡ ❳

BTS as 'Mockingbird' for Chaeri

And if you ask me to Daddy's gonna buy you a Mockingbird I'ma give you the world I'ma buy a diamond ring for you, I'ma sing for you I'll do anything for you to see you smile

And if that Mockingbird don't sing, and that ring don't shine I'ma break that birdies neck I'd go back to the jeweler who sold it to ya And make him eat every karat, don't fuck with dad

#bts 8th member #bts female member #bts female addition #bts eighth member #bts 8th member au #bts scenarios #bts x reader #bts addition #bts additional #kpop female member #kpop female oc #bts au #bts au fanfic #jungkook #jimin #bts v #taehyung #rap monster #namjoon #j hope #hoseok #yoongi #suga #seokjin #jin #bts idol au #idolverse #bts requests

[amethiosspouse]

I HATE GAY PEOPLE /j

GOD I ACTUALLY HATE DRAWING AMETHIOS HAIR ITS SUCH A PAIN

#mari shitposts #amemari #yume oc #yumeship #yumejoshi #selfship art #oc x canon #pokemon horizons #amethio #I HOPE THE GAYS NEVER BE HAPPY /j #enough amemari angst i want them to be happy

[rosietrace]

Bad idea!... Right?

Characters Featured: Camilla Marigold, Tiago Àkèré(@windbornearchon), Victoria Shard

Mentioned: Mercury Von Monarch

Pairing: Camilla Marigold x Tiago Àkèré

Synopsis: Tiago hasn't been in the best of moods lately... Camilla wanted to change that. But whether that's a good idea or not is up for Fate to decide.

Warning(s): Potentially ooc, illegally gathering information on others(Victoria), using information against the person — thus ruining their life altogether, gossip, bullying (implied, not involving leads), mentions of Camilla singing /j

[ Apologies for any out of character moments ]

[ Reblogs > Likes ]

†•°•══════ஓ๑⚚๑ஓ══════•°•†

“So, how is it, doll?”

Camilla snorted at the use of the nickname, but gave Tiago the pleasure of an answer.

“Very good, Tia,” she sent him a wink, giggling profusely. “Now, this might sound like a stretch, but I think you outdid yourself with this beignet recipe.”

Tiago chuckled, leaning against RSA's kitchen counter. “Oh? Ya think so?”

“I know so.”

“You seem very sure of yourself, dollface.”

Camilla cocked her head to the side, painting an innocent look on her face whilst extending her hand (likely for more beignets.). “What, is that so wrong?”

“No,” he replied, filling her plate with a couple more beignets. “'Just thought it was cute of you.”

She whistled. “Don't go playing with fire now, Tia. Snakes bite, and so do the flames of a raging inferno.”

Tiago let out a laugh, soft and melodic. “I'm willing to put up with a bit of heat.”

Camilla crossed her legs, winking at him. “Don't be so sure of yourself, Tia.”

This playful banter between them was kind of the norm. It's usually Tiago who'd initiate it, but that wasn't to say Camilla wouldn't start it off, either.

However, this time around, Camilla noticed a weird air around Tiago. Specifically the dark circles in his eyes. And although his smile was a sight for sore eyes…

Camilla seemed to notice this is becoming more common, as days go by.

Naturally, ever concerned for the well-being of her boyfriend, Camilla decided to finally bring it up. “Hey,” she said, calling out to him and catching his attention.

“Are you feeling okay?” she sent him a look of clear concern, wondering if it was something she said — or something else entirely.

That same tired smile was sent back to her as an answer. “I'm fine, doll,” Tiago walked up to Camilla, pressing a kiss to her cheek — and another kiss on her forehead. Almost as if to distract her from his current state.

Unfortunately for Tiago, Camilla cannot be persuaded by even the most charming of…. Well, charms. “Don't try saying that to me, Tia.”

She gave him a sort of pout, but then the genuine worry in her eyes began festering. “Tia, you know you can tell me, y'know…”

Much like Camilla, Tiago wouldn't be easily persuaded. “I'm fine, really,” he leaned against the counter. “Honest.”

“From the looks of it? Not so much,” Camilla clicked her tongue, shooting a knowing look at Tiago. She wasn't going to let this go so easily.

It wasn't that Tiago didn't trust Camilla. He did. But….

“Wait,” Camilla paused, trying to think of why Tiago wasn't telling her anything. “Do you think I'm going to gossip about you if you tell me how you're feeling-?”

“What?? N-No!” Tiago rushed back to her side, reassuringly putting his head on her shoulders and kissing her temple. “I know you wouldn't stoop that low, doll. You love gossip, I know, but you wouldn't do that.”

She pursed her lips, face twisting. “I know, but….”

“Doll,” Tiago took one of his hands and began caressing her cheek. “I'm fine. You don't have to worry about anything because there's nothing to worry about.”

That's a bear-faced lie and you know that, Camilla thought, now beginning to ponder on what she should do if she wanted to find out.

And, very soon, she knew just the person to go to for help.

༝ㅤ･. ↯ㅤ˚ㅤ↳。ㅤ.ㅤ𓆙⋆ㅤ

“You better have a good explanation for why you suddenly interrupted my alchemy lesson.”

Victoria leaned against the wall, arching a brow at Camilla with crossed arms. The latter, however, was smiling awkwardly at her older cousin — pondering what she should tell her.

“So….. You know how I'm dating Tia?” Camilla asked, trying to make it sound as natural a question as possible.

“I am aware,” Victoria shook her head. “You never shut up about him.”

That got Camilla giggling for a moment, but her focus returned to her task at hand. “Yes, um-” she let out an awkward cough. “.... I'm gonna need info on him.”

Well, that certainly got Victoria blinking and internally judging her cousin.

“.... Pardon? You want me to give you information on your boyfriend.”

“Yes- I mean- Well, that isn't exactly what I meant-”

“Then what point were you trying to make?” The look in Victoria's eyes sharpened. “Did you two get into an argument?”

“No!” Camilla dropped any questions along those lines immediately. “It's just-”

“Just?” Victoria beckoned Camilla to continue, tilting her head slightly. With a gaze so sharp that Camilla had to take a breath or two before continuing.

Finally, Camilla mustered enough confidence to admit to her cousin. “It's just…. It feels like something's been bothering him lately. And- And he won't tell me about it, which is insane! I mean, did I do something wrong? Did I do something to offend him? Does he think I'm gonna spill the beans to everyone on campus if I-”

“He's not keeping it from you because of reasons like that,” Victoria cut her off, raising a hand as a gesture that it was her turn to talk. “Most likely, he isn't telling you so you don't get worried.”

“But that's ridiculous!” Camilla groaned into her hands. “Doesn't he know he can trust me with these things!”

“As said before, he's keeping it from you so you don't make a fuss about it. Tiago prefers getting noticed for his food, not for what's going on in his personal life,” It took everything in Victoria to not let out an exasperated huff.

Leaning against the wall next to her, Camilla crossed her arms, the expression on her face twisted to look like a pout. It managed to make Victoria chuckle a bit, at least.

After a moment or two of complete silence between them, Victoria spoke up.

“So,” she angled her head up, staring at the stone ceiling. “You want me to figure out what's been bothering him?”

“I mean,” Camilla scratched the back of her head. “Yeah, basically. You're the best person for the job…”

That got a ghost of a smile out of Victoria. “I'm flattered, but I'm going to need to inquire with you on whether or not you think this is actually a good idea or not.”

Camilla rolled her eyes. “Are you seriously doubting me?”

“Yes,” Victoria answered swiftly. “And I feel I should warn you, Mercury won't be pleased once word gets to him.”

“It isn't his business, so he should just keep his judgemental comments up his ass,” Camilla grumbled — one section of her hair turning into a serpent that sided with her.

This time it was Victoria's turn to roll her eyes, as she began walking away from Camilla to (begrudgingly) fulfill her request.

“You better know what you're doing, ‘Milla.”

༝ㅤ･. ↯ㅤ˚ㅤ↳。ㅤ.ㅤ𓆙⋆ㅤ

As soon as she got the information she wanted, Camilla got to work.

Now within the comfort of her dorm room, Camilla leaned against the headboard, reading through the information her cousin managed to gather for her.

She clicked her tongue. Looks like someone's been talking down on Tia….

That was certainly displeasing to Camilla's ears. The sheer thought that someone could dislike her oh-so-princely boyfriend felt almost alien to her.

Aside from what that someone was saying to affect Tiago, Victoria had been courteous enough to write an additional section of information on the person. Their name, their academic stats, their family, their relationships, etc.

Just reading through everything she was able to find gave Camilla a chill down her spine. Seven's above, Vicky's a little too good at this…

She gulped, somewhat overwhelmed by all the information in a couple of documents, before confidence washed over her. That smile washed over her.

She scoffed. “Taking this guy down is about as easy as writing my own personal burn book,” Camilla murmured.

All sense of morality? It was all out of the window by then. When it came to the way something affected Tiago, he always came first and foremost, for Camilla.

That wasn't to say Camilla was morally sound, to begin with, though.

༝ㅤ･. ↯ㅤ˚ㅤ↳。ㅤ.ㅤ𓆙⋆ㅤ

Tiago looked around, slightly skeptical as he and Camilla walked down RSA’s halls. Hmm….

“Something bothering you, Tia?” Camilla's voice felt all too pleased. At the moment, she was looking at her compact mirror, reapplying some lip gloss.

“I’m…. Fine, I guess,” Tiago leaned over to her to whisper; “Is it just me, or is everyone starin’ at us?...”

Camilla could only giggle a little too endearingly, pecking Tiago’s lips for a moment. And only a moment. “Aw, Tia, calm down. They're not staring.”

And by not staring, she meant Not-Staring. Not looking at the person to the point it was deliberate.

Tiago didn't get the memo of that, though. “Ah,” he breathed. “Right….”

As they walked — side by side, hand-in-hand — Camilla couldn't fight back the look of utter satisfaction in her eyes.

They deserved it, she justified it to herself. After what they did to Tia, it was only inevitable!

That was just who Camilla was. Hurting her loved ones, to her, is a crime worse than anything else. And it's simply an impulse for her to retaliate using the only thing she deems herself good at.

Gossip. Talking behind their back, keeping secrets.

She knew Tiago wouldn't have approved if he found out. That he wouldn't be angry, but rather disappointed in her.

And she doesn't want that. Never in her life could she manage the thought of that ever happening.

So she'll find solace in moments like the one she's having with him now, lovey-dovey and almost fairytale-esque until the time comes when they'll finally clash.

Whatever comes next is a problem for her future self.

†•°•══════ஓ๑⚚๑ஓ══════•°•†

Taglist

↳ [ Please notify if you want to be part of the Taglist/If I forgot anyone ]

🥥 — @starry-night-rose • @authoruio • @sakuramidnight15 • @fumikomiyasaki • @nem0-nee

—

In dedication to — @windbornearchon

—

🩷 — @celiica/@terrovaniadorm • @twsted-princess • @geminiiviolets • @mystery-skulls-ghost • @absolutelyobsessedkiya • @oseathepebble • @sandbees • @vivaresmala

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#twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #twst ocs #camilla marigold #tiago àkèré #『 camilla 🐍 』 #mutuals <3 #oc x oc ship #oc x oc #rosie oneshots! 🩷 #the title is just off screen cami wondering if what she's doing is right or not /j /j #lawd imagine how tiago would feel once he finds out 😭 #i had a lot of fun writing this!! part of why it took a while to finish was bc of writer's block (and fear of mischaracterizing tia 😭) #but i still had fun writing it either way!! #hope you enjoy this one jas!!! 🫶✨

[likeastarstar]

1:02 AM - Hoseok

You knew this guy.

He lived across from you, used to be all colorful and vibrant. He was always smiling and dancing and singing- he was a bit annoying actually.

You weren't really the most sunshiney person yourself actually, more of a black cat instead. People weren't interesting and you couldn't find yourself trying to relate to most men, let alone this one with his obnoxious laugh and constant need to have people over at his apartment.

There was this one time he practically broke into your apartment while you were clothed in nothing but a small towel on your way out of the shower- okay, granted, he had barged in because he heard your scream and thought something had happened to you- but it wasn't any of his business anyway!

It was embarrassing enough that you had let out a blood curdling scream all because of a cockroach, let alone that someone caught you at your worst. You forced him to kill the bug and shoved him out the door, your hair so wet it flung droplets of water onto his shirt and seeped through the material, making it stick to his chest and reveal-

Huh, maybe he's a little interesting at all.

You eyes barely lingered on the piercing pushing through sheer white material over his pec and you tilted your head, making eye contact with him for a brief moment before regaining the shield of annoyance you always wore and slammed the door in his face.

Ever since then, you've hated that guy so much you look for him just to glare at him, stare at his front door just a little bit longer when you walk out of your place just to make sure he stays in there. You rolled your eyes at him when he was in the elevator at the same time as you, flipped him off when you crossed paths at the grocery store one time.

Now, you make sure to go at that very same time every week just to get another chance to see him tell him off.

Except for now you never see him at all.

There was mail collecting in front of his door and flooding the mailbox and you never ran into him at all.

"Did that tool move? The one in apartment 924? The one who's always smiling? Brown hair, wide set eyes- he's kind of...like noodley?"

"Noodley?" The man at the front desk asked, raising his eyes, "You mean Hobi?"

"What kind of a name is Hobi?" You scoffed, rolling your eyes.

"Well, his real name is Hoseok."

Hoseok.

You felt your heart thud and your hands tingle, taking a step back as your eyes widened slightly. Hoseok. That was...that was a good name.

You wanted to wrap your tongue around it, push the sound from side to side in your mouth and chew up the syllables. You breathed it out, allowing yourself to whisper his name just once, just quietly.

"Yeah, that asshole- is he gone? I mean, did he move or something?" You repeated.

"No, not that I'm aware of. Next time I see him, do you want me to mention that you asked about him?"

"Do you want me to move?" You asked sarcastically, "No, absolutely not. Don't say jack shit."

You frowned and went back up to your apartment, wondering if you could let yourself say his name just one more time.

The next time you saw him, his hair was white and he looked tired, lugging a black duffle on his shoulder with a pissed off look on his face. You were stumbling on your way back from a club, slightly drunk but not drunk enough to forget that you absolutely had to order food right this minute, shuffling into the elevator staring at a menu on your phone.

You were staring so hard that you didn't realize anyone else was in the elevator, bumping directly into Hobi's chest when you walked in.

He grunted, looking down at you with a frown and an expression that said 'what is wrong with you?'.

You let out a squeak of surprise and backed up, eyes wide as your ass hit the wall opposite to him, staring at his appearance. You hadn't ever seen his hair like this- all short and spiked up and he was exhausted and annoyed by you and it was sexy.

"You're forgetting something," He grumbled quietly, cutting through the silence between you two with a voice barely louder than a whisper, deep in tone and gravelly with sleep.

Maybe it's because you were drunk, but it made you squeeze your thighs a little closer together.

You frowned and tilted your head, too focused on the adam's apple bobbing against his throat to respond verbally. Silently, Hobi picked up a manicured hand- black nail polish, sexy. Sexy- sexy- and flipped you off, his long middle finger paired with a bored expression on his face.

Your mouth fell open and the elevator dinged perfectly on time.

"Have a good night, nice dress." Hoseok said with a smirk, leaving you alone in the elevator without so much as a word.

You saw him more after that but something had shifted. He wasn't smiling as much, keeping to himself or always glued to his phone and a large pair of headphones that warded off any attempt at conversation.

Not that you'd attempt to talk to him either way- you weren't friendly, you hated him, remember?

It didn't make a difference to you until one day it did and the two of you were the only ones in the mail room, rifling through your three bills while he had about thirty unopened packages and a million more letters in his hand. He seemed annoyed by it all, shoving his headphones off of his head and driving a fist into his now jet black, short cropped hair. You eyed the way it stuck up straight and matted down in other spots where the strap of the headphones had been sitting, wondering what on earth he was always listening to.

You stared at him long enough for Hoseok to notice, a steely eyed look meeting yours out of the corner of his eyes, "You need something?"

"You're wearing black."

He frowned, staring down at the black painter style jumpsuit he had on, "Okay?"

"What's wrong with you?" You barked, frowning at him.

"Am I not allowed to wear black?" He asked, tilting his head in a confused way. He looked at you for the first time in awhile and you watched his eyes widen, wondering what that meant.

"You're wearing black and you don't do that annoying smile anymore and you dyed your hair. It's back to normal now but it's dirty and you're wearing black. You don't even try to make Mrs. Choi on the fourth floor laugh anymore when you see her and you're wearing black- what's wrong with you?" You ranted, pouting stubbornly.

Hoseok's face screwed up in frustration, hands balling into fists before he cursed under his breath, falling into an exhausted puddle on the ground. He sat amongst his piles of mail with his head between his knees, groaning in annoyance.

Oops.

"I'm fucking tired- I've been working on something and I don't have the time to focus on anything else." He said quietly, "I'm just tired."

"You're so dramatic," You laughed, taking a step closer to him, "Get over it, Hobi. It's just work, don't be such a cog. Take a break, find something to distract you."

"You really don't get it," He grumbled, shaking his head. He froze, peering up at you with a curious expression before rising to his full height.

He was a significant amount taller than you and you hadn't realized how close he was so when he stood, you gasped audibly, taken aback by how intimidating he was up close. Hoseok's eyes were trained on you, narrowed slightly in suspicion. You noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the smoothness of his skin, wanting to reach out and touch him- just to see what it would be like.

"I thought you hated me but now you seem to know all about me- I don't even know yours and yet you're calling me by my nickname, no honorifics, no manners?" He asked.

You wondered how his voice could be so soft and yet be the only thing worth focusing on, the tone of it making you lean in and want to listen to him all the time.

"Well, barging into other people's apartments when they're naked doesn't exactly scream mr.manners either," You pointed out, taking a step back.

Hoseok smiled for the first time in months and you felt pride blossom in your chest. He took you in for a moment before sighing, "You definitely weren't naked- I'd remember that."

You blushed and forced yourself to look away from him, gathering your mail before rushing past him, "Yeah, well- whatever, just stop being so emo, Mrs. Choi needs a friend or whatever."

"Mrs. Choi said that, huh?" Hobi smirked, watching you avoid eye contact with him.

You flipped him off and his laugh boomed off the walls, staying with you long after you had returned back to your apartment.

You went through the rest of your evening, unable to shake the very annoying, incessant, incredibly frustrating boy off your mind.

You showered wondering if whether you screamed right now, Hoseok would come bounding in again. You brushed your teeth wondering what his lips felt like, stared at your reflection and wondered why his eyes got so wide when he looked at you earlier.

More importantly, what did he do for work that had him so stressed?

You thought he was a dancer or something- that's what Mrs. Choi had told you at least. Not that you asked, she just talked a lot and the elevator was so slow sometimes.

But anyway, she told you that he was a dancer, that's why he was always getting noise complaints and was up at odd hours. You wondered what kind of dancing he was doing, whether it was something stupid like ballet or something. You snorted, imagining him in tights and pointe shoes until you got to his thighs suddenly it wasn't so stupid anymore.

"Damn," You mumbled to yourself, wondering if Mrs. Choi could get you a video of him dancing or something.

You dressed yourself quickly, pulling a large shirt over your head and foregoing panties because....you were looking for your vibrator instead. You cursed your own hormones, wishing you weren't so damn turned on by that stupid fucking sunshine boy who isn't so sunshiny anymore- this wouldn't have happened if he wasn't going through an emo phase.

"Where the hell is it?" You mumbled to yourself, hunting in your bedside table.

You dove underneath your bed, hunting in the random pile of junk shoved under there until there was a knock at your front door. You squeaked in surprise, the top of your head hitting the bed frame. You winced and hurried to answer the door.

You swung it open, still clutching the top of your head. Hoseok appeared, without his headphones for the first time in months and a shiny smile back on his face. You felt your cheeks redden and immediately remembered that you didn't have anything but a shirt on- shrieking immediately.

"What?" Hoseok screamed back, looking behind him wildly with a fearful look on his face.

"I don't- Uh, nothing," You stammered, thinking maybe your shirt was big enough to hide your indecency. "W-What are you doing? Here, I mean- What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, I know it's late, were you asleep?" He asked, taking in your appearance and stopping at the top of your thighs. His lips parted, falling open in a cute little heart shape that you'd be able to better admire if you weren't so focused on the violent horniness coursing through your body.

You squeezed your legs together, hoping he wouldn't notice, "I wasn't asleep- what are you doing here?"

Hoseok tilted his head over and looked at you, eye contact so consistent it intimidated the shit out of you.

"I'm, uh," He said awkwardly, a slow smile growing on his face, "I'm trying to take someone's advice. You know, stop being a cog, find something to distract myself."

"Sounds like good advice," You nodded, "So what'd you find to distract you?"

He grinned, stepping towards you. You leaned in instinctively, scanning his face carefully. He smirked, humming lightly in a way that reminded you of a cat.

"You."

to be continued...?

masterlist.

#bts drabble #bts timestamps #bts fic #bts smut #hoseok drabble #hoseok fic #jung hoseok fanfiction #hoseok x you #hoseok x y/n #hoseok x oc #hoseok x reader #j hope headcanon #j hope imagine #j hope x you #j hope x reader #j hope fanfic

[insfiringyou]

How would Jeong-Sun and Nana react if they ever found about the threesome? I know they won't but would they be curious, not surprised, don't care ask questions?

It's actually a really interesting question because we don't think either would ever find out.

I do think actually they would both be very surprised! Because it is, admittedly even for them, out of character and without context seems quite shocking. Though I think Jeong-sun would actually 'get it' in the context of how he was feeling/where he was in his life at the time. Still sore and heartbroken a year later after their breakup, questioning and doubting whether he could ever really be with anyone again (either romantically or sexually), and then presented with a really unique and spontaneous opportunity where he could have some anonymity and there was also the safety of Hoseok also taking part. I think in reality, even if Jeong-sun did find out it would be really hard for Yoongi to vocalise all of that, but if he did and was able to she'd completely get it and, while still a bit shocking, it would make sense to her and I think she'd actually be glad for him. In a way, I also think Yoongi was the one who needed it more and even if Hoseok had changed his mind at the last minute, Yoongi would have slept with her.

Nana would be more shocked and might not fully be able to understand either the context, but ultimately it was before they met so she'd not be able to be too mad. I do think it would play on her mind more than Jeong-sun though. Jeong-sun would also be the more likely to ask questions because I genuinely think there's that curiosity there, but without any real jealousy.

New readers can find the threesome fic here

#bts #bts suga #bts smut #bts j-hope #bts sope #sope #j-hope #suga #suga x oc #j-hope x oc #suga x jeong-sun #j-hope x nana

[r3tr0s-posts]

>> Commission I made for a good fri3nd @tommy1sdead of their OC and J

>> Enjoy 0]0]0]

#commission #murder drones #md j #oc x canon #serial designation j #<file>art.data #<file>others.ocs #<file>b3st.fri3nds #<file>commissions #>> This took so long I'm sorry 0[ #>> I HOPE IT'S GOOD-

[kimtaesss]

Summary: your ex boyfriend from 2 years ago has returned. Despite wanting to avoid him at all cost it’s impossible when you both share the same friend group. To make things worse, he has come back with a girlfriend.

Pairing: Taehyung x reader; Yoongi x reader

Genre: angst, fluff, exes to (?), exes au

Warnings: messy feelings, unrequited love, rejection, stupid decision making, honestly just be prepared for chaos.

Chapters:

One: he’s back

Two: thinking of you

three: (tba)

Four: (tba)

taglist: @bjoriis @btsbangers @kimxhanbin131 @got7usernames @gotjimin13 @laylasbunbunny @rjsmochii @jhopeshopee @taeriffic @shydestinyyouth @tarahardcore @sukunasrealgf @whoa-jo @starlight-night0 @taebangtanbabe

#kim seokjin #kim taehyung #park jimin #bts jungkook #kim namjoon #j hope bts #jung hoesok #bts hoseok #bangtan #taehyung fluff #yoongi x reader #taehyung angst #taehyung x reader #bts fluff #bts angst #taehyung imagine #taehyung x oc #bts yoongi #yoongi x you #exes au #bts x reader #bangtan fluff #bangtan angst #Jungkook fluff #Jungkook angst #yoongi fluff #yoongi angst #yoongi x oc

[seokjinsonlyone]

LMAO the last mtl you answered had the gears in my mind twisting too and I have an mtl now! Who do you think is mtl to get jealous/protective/throws an attitude at you when you and him are at a party or event and you see a celeb that you’ve had a crush on for a long time and you start fangirlling HARD lol

My thoughts on this

- Jungkook WITHOUT A DOUBT lmao he’s gonna be holding you near to him all night long and making your attention is on him

- V cause even tho this man knows he’s the shit, he doesn’t want you gushing over another man when he, THE Kim Taehyung, is right there lol

- Jimin because this man just wants all of your attention on him but he’s also a professional so he’s not gonna get super jealous in front of people too

- Jin because he is wwh and is baffled that you even think someone else compares 😂

- Now for rap line, I felt like they were all pretty on par with each other! I think I would put Yoongi above namseok now that I think about it just because. Like I have no reason lmao.

- But namseok tied for least because those two are so confident in themselves that they don’t mind you checking out other guys because they know whose bed youre gonna end up in that night 🤪 also they know they themselves have girls turning their heads to check them out too (eg. w Korea event when they walked in) so it evens out duh

LEMME TELL YOU RIGHT NOW i would smack the ego right out the back of namseok neck bc the only girl's head they should be worrying about turning is MINE like me personally i know where home is so I can fangirl and go off about whoever but i should be their entire world even in they innermost thoughts Yes i am aware that is a double standard i am a BOLD HYPOCRITE i do not care 😌

but you know what? i'm actually gonna go out on a limb and put seokjin first but ONLY bc this is in the context of a party like i don't think he'd necessarily be JEALOUS per say but he'd definitely be appalled at the notion of you either tryna leave him to go meet someone else or making him go with you to meet someone else like if he at a party he just there for appearances sake and only tryna be there long enough to say he was there before going home like mixing and mingling not part of the plan AT ALL and like you said whoever it is ain't WWH so why is you tripping?

i'm saying tae next bc he seem like he got a lot of industry friends and like just imagine being at the function and seo joon turn up like me personally imma stop in my tracks it don't matter if i've accidentally picked up one of his calls from tae phone or have said hi on facetime the first time i see him in person i'm grabbing onto tae arm hard enough to hurt i'm not breathing at a complete standstill bc it's park seo joon live and in the flesh like it's a wrap and bc that's his hyung he finna have a major attitude he'd be like girl i know this man that's like my brother and it's just like sorry bae he's 6'1 and i've seen the way he kiss on screen 🤷‍♀️ he'll still take you to meet him of course but you'll get a hello and a handshake at best before he signaling jimin to take you away

I KNOW IT'S SHOCKING THAT JK ISN'T FIRST UP BC HE'S USUALLY AT THE SCENE OF EVERY CRIME REGARDING JEALOUSY BUT HEAR ME OUT it's bc he'd think it's cute at first like it's all fun and games until he's with you talking to whoever and he see the hearts in your eyes and you kinda hitting it off with them and then it just would NOT sit right with him at all like after that you not meeting no one else not talking to anyone else if you so much as look at another person he might decide to drag you home altogether 💀

hobi's another one who would think it's cute like he'd be fine with it go up to them and introduce you to them and even leave you to talk to them but if 20-30 minutes passed and then he went around looking for you and found you with that person still he'd be like 🙂🚩 and then go make up an excuse to drag you away bc it's all fine and good and well to have a little crush as long as it stays just that A CRUSH like you not about to sit there and be friends with them LOL

i'm putting jimin next bc he's a tease like i really think there's some sort of sick sadistic part of him that would get off on you going googoo gaga for another man like he'd turn it into some sort of game MIGHT EVEN GO SWINGING IAJFOSJFO

i think namgi pretty much on the same level of like not caring like it's whatever they know how you feel about that person and would let you live your y/n life ONLY DIFFERENCE I THINK THAT EXISTS IS yoongi wouldn't point the person out to you like if you saw them and started freaking out he'd be like okay well are you gonna go talk to them or are you gonna keep hitting my arm and staring NAMJOON ON THE OTHER HAND he'd be just as excited as you are LOL like he's gonna be like omg bae look over there and then he's gonna rush both y'all over there to talk to whoever it is he'd probably end up becoming besties with your celebrity crush and hang their relationship over your head tbh

#ask of interest #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts headcanons #bts mtl #kim namjoon fic #namjoon x oc #jin fic #seokjin x reader #yoongi x you #yoongi fanfic #j hope x reader #hobi fic #jimin x y/n #park jimin fic #kim taehyung fanfic #kim taehyung x y/n #jeon jungkook fanfic #jungkook x reader

[chiskz]

= (equal sign) -> DIOR x J-HOPE x CHICHI collaboration

♡ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐭

___________________

♡ taglist: @g4m3girl

#oc-ommunity #kpop addition #stray kids 9th member #kpop added member #kpop oc #stray kids oc #idol oc #stray kids female oc #stray kids added member #stray kids addition #stray kids female addition #stray kids imagines #bts imagines #j hope x oc

[magicshopaholic]

Movie Night (Hoseok x OC)

Summary: Hoseok hosts movie night, but finds he can’t concentrate with all the flirting.

Pairing: Hoseok x OC

Genre: Humour, unreolved issues, hints of angst

Word count: 5.8 K

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Alcohol, spoilers for the movie Get Out!

A/N: Took me a while but my favourite children are back :') Contains one of the first scenes of theirs I ever envisioned. This fic takes place approximately four months after Double Take, about a week after Stranger Things. Can't wait to hear what you guys think <3

Tagging: @bbl32 @quarter-life-crisis2 @meirkive @dreaming-with-happiness @xjoonchildx @tarahardcore, @kflixnet (drop a message if you want to be added)

Listen to: “should i stay or should i go” by the clash

hoseok masterlist | main masterlist

A phone call wakes Chanyeol up before his alarm does.

Clearing his throat as his eyes stay shut, he fumbles for his phone on the hotel bedside table and answers it. “Hello?”

“Hey, what’s up? Listen, you’re coming over today, right?” Hoseok asks, without waiting for a response to his first question.

It takes Chanyeol a couple of seconds to process these many words. “What?”

“Today,” repeats his best friend patiently. “You’re coming over?”

“Uh - yeah.” He frowns, rubbing at his eyes. “Why?” 

“Just checking.”

“No, why as in, why are you calling and not texting?”

“I did text you, but I didn’t hear back.”

“Yeah, because it’s -“ Chanyeol moves the phone away from his ear to squint at the screen “- eight in the morning on a Saturday. Dude, what are you even doing up?”

“Dance practice,” supplies Hoseok. “Anyway, I wanted to check with you…” There’s a pause while his voice trails away, sounding uncertain.

Chanyeol frowns, brain still fuzzy. “I know your address. You texted it to me.”

“No, I know…” Hoseok clears his throat. “I was wondering if I should invite your sister.”

No part of that sentence makes sense to Chanyeol in this context. “My sister?”

“Yeah… wait, you know she’s in Seoul, right?”

He scoffs, sitting up slightly now and wincing as he straightens his back. “She let me in on it, yeah. I was going to have lunch with her today. How do you know she’s in Seoul?” Something occurs to him then. “Wait, did she call you or something?”

“No, I ran into her a couple months ago.”

“Where?”

“The - the grocery store. Anyway, my point is,” he continues quickly, “now that I know she’s here - and you’re here - should I invite her?”

“Um, I dunno. It’s your house, man.”

“Right.”

When Hoseok says nothing else, Chanyeol frowns. “Since when do you hang out with my sister, anyway?”

“Since never. It’s just, you know, polite. Since I ran into her and everything,” he explains. “And because you’re her brother. I mean, you have lunch with her and then leave to come over to my place when she knows I’m here - and she knows that I know she’s here -“ Hoseok exhales, and Chanyeol can practically see him pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

“You know, she’s not going to care,” says Chanyeol slowly. “She probably has plans already.”

“Oh. How - how do you know?”

“Because she’s had plans every single weekend since she turned sixteen.” He has no idea where this conversation is going. “But like I said: it’s your house. You do whatever you want.”

“Yeah.” Hoseok is quiet for a moment, and Chanyeol can tell he hasn’t heard a single word. “Alright, cool,” he says after a few seconds. “I’ll see you later today. Bring beer. And about Chaeyoung - you’re probably right.”

“Sure I am,” yawns Chanyeol, already sinking back into bed.

“Yeah, like, it would be polite to call her but if she’s got plans - I mean, I wouldn’t want to put her out -“

“Exactly,” he mumbles against his pillow.

“Maybe if you were moving to Seoul or something - but let’s not overthink this too much…”

The next thing Chanyeol knows, he wakes up to the sun streaming brightly into his room and his phone still in his hand. He vaguely remembers speaking to Hoseok; just to check that he hasn’t missed something important, he brings the phone up and checks his notifications to see one message from his best friend.

You know what? Just text me her number.

—

Hoseok ends up giving Chanyeol a lift to his house, when it turns out that the latter’s hotel is less than ten minutes away from the studio. 

“- heard that I couldn’t sleep so they gave me - and get this - specialty foam pillows, because apparently that’s a thing now -“

Hoseok guffaws as he pulls into his building. “Did they help? Like, should I get a bunch for my house?”

“I mean, they were soft,” allows Chanyeol.

“That’s what made them special?”

“No, they had some weird vibrator thing inside.” When Hoseok raises his eyebrows, Chanyeol rolls his eyes. “It wasn’t like that, dumbass.”

“Hey, I believe you. No wonder you didn’t get my texts.”

“That and the jet lag,” allows Chanyeol, unstrapping himself as the car switches off. “But I’m all well-rested now.”

“Good. I invited a couple of my friends over, too. That’s cool, right?”

“Sure. Like I said: I got my sleep and I’m ready to, like -” He makes a vague gesture with his hands and moves his neck around “- party.” When Hoseok snorts, Chanyeol rolls his eyes. “Knock it off, not all of us are professional idols.”

“There’s an unprofessional kind?” Hoseok chortles at his own joke while his best friend clicks his tongue, punching his shoulder as they enter the apartment. “Beer’s in the fridge. I have soju and vodka, too, if you want it.”

“Vodka? It’s four pm.”

“Yeah, but you’re ready to party.”

“Not if it’s a party of one,” disagrees Chanyeol, making his way over to the fridge and emerging with a can of Budweiser. “I’ll wait for your friends before I start getting shitfaced. Or I’ll wait until it gets dark,” he adds, shrugging.

“Uh, yeah, about that,” says Hoseok slowly, leaning sideways against the TV cabinet as Chanyeol settles on the couch, “I invited your sister.”

To his surprise, Chanyeol chuckles. “Yeah, she told me. She was even more surprised than I was.”

“She - oh.” He frowns. “Okay. Why?” When his best friend simply raises his eyebrows. “Yeah, okay, I know why, but… do you think it’s that weird that I did? I mean, I ran into someone from my childhood and then her brother comes over to my house a couple months later - wouldn’t it be rude not to call her?”

Chanyeol seems to think it over before sighing. “You know, you’re right? And if it were anyone else, I’m sure none of us would give it a second thought.”

“But she was the annoying kid that lived next door,” finishes Hoseok, rolling his eyes. “That was, like, a hundred years ago. I’m over it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she is, too. I mean, she is coming, after all.”

“Huh.” It hadn’t occurred to Hoseok until this moment that he was worried at all that she wouldn’t. But there’s a strange sort of relief at the confirmation from Chanyeol himself, that somewhere out there, his best friend’s sister isn’t mad at him anymore.

Hoseok hadn’t given Chaeyoung much thought since he’d run into her at the liquor store; not because he didn’t care, but because the majority of his mind space in those few months had been at the studio, and the rest on rehearsals. Still, it had been nice to see her - a blast from his past that, he’d realised only later, was a pleasant reminder of the families he missed so much.

It hadn’t even occurred to him to mention the chance meeting to Chanyeol. An insane part of him felt like he was helping her hide something; the fact that she was in Seoul, and in a liquor store no less, was far too incongruous for him to wrap his mind around. Chanyeol, he felt, would probably burst a blood vessel if he knew. 

Besides, Chanyeol had been in Tokyo for the last two years, working for an investment bank that sucked the very life and soul out of him; the last thing he needed was to worry about his sister. Hoseok hadn’t considered reaching out to her again, though, not until Chanyeol mentioned he was visiting Seoul and Hoseok had remembered with a jolt that he’d been a horrible friend for not looking out for little Chaeyoung while her brother was overseas. 

So, it seemed only natural that he should invite Chaeyoung as well. Just the image of both siblings at lunch, the younger one mentioning how she’d run into Hoseok months ago, Chanyeol’s confusion at why they’d never spoken again, him coming over and demanding an explanation, Hoseok stuttering about his busy schedule, Chanyeol shouting tearfully that he’d betrayed him on every level, a vase smashing somewhere -

No, it was better that he invited her before things escalated. After all, she’d been perfectly pleasant at the liquor store and there was nothing to say that, given time, they might not become good acquaintances themselves. He’d called Jimin and Jungkook over for this exact reason; he figured Chaeyoung might be more comfortable with people closer to her own age. Taehyung had been invited as well but he’d declined, and given recent events, Hoseok hadn’t pushed. 

Jimin and Jungkook arrive soon. There’s some initial whispering in the hall, where Jimin mutters with exasperation that he hadn’t quite tried to bring Taehyung along, and Jungkook anxiously asks Hoseok if Chanyeol is “nice”.

“Just - get in there,” instructs Hoseok, steering them into the living room where Chanyeol is sitting on the edge of the couch, talking into his phone. He raises a hand in greeting and apologetically mouths “sorry”, leaving Hoseok to watch as his band members dive for his alcohol stash.

Introductions take place after that; there’s a bit of small talk that follows it, about work, about Tokyo, about what Hoseok hyung was like before Bangtan. Hoseok doesn’t know if he’s imagining it, but there’s a definite awkwardness in the air that seems to be stemming from nothing in particular. He tries his best to intervene and bring the topic to something as neutral as possible, but eventually he’s forced to admit that idols and investment bankers may not have much in common at all.

Chanyeol, for all his talent, has always been a bit of an introvert, enough that he looks for others to usually lead a conversation - indeed, Hoseok had always been his consummate extroverted friend. Jimin he can tell is trying to be as normal and welcoming as possible, but something seems to be troubling him. Hoseok makes a mental note to ask him about it. On the other corner of the couch, Jungkook sits quietly, eyes wide and curious as he takes in the awkward conversation and chuckles appropriately.

This goes on for nearly twenty minutes. Now under pressure to turn this evening around, Hoseok is just about to propose selecting the movie when the doorbell rings.

“I’ll get it,” he says, standing up with a flourish and striding halfway across the living room while the others are still turning their heads. Hurrying into the hall, he turns automatically to glance into the ornate mirror by the door and runs a hand through his hair to flatten it, when he stops. It occurs to him all of a sudden who might be on the other side of that door and before he can think about it, he ruffles his hair and turns to open the lock.

“Hey,” says Kang Chaeyoung, a handbag hanging from one forearm and a wine bottle in the other hand. On her head is a beret, a navy blue one that matches perfectly with the blouse under her white jacket. She frowns and cocks her head to the side, apparently at the low voices from inside. “Sorry… am I late?”

“No, not at all,” he replies, stepping aside to let her in. A faint scent of perfume wafts up as she enters, unzipping her boots in the corner. 

“Oh, uh - this is for you.” She hands him the bottle. “It’s a Chardonnay,” she explains, “but a nice, fruity one.”

Hoseok waits for her to continue but when she doesn’t, he nods once. “Wow. Um, you - you didn’t have to bring this,” he says, recalling how Jimin and Jungkook had strolled in, comfortably empty-handed, and Chanyeol had been punching him in the shoulder when he’d arrived.

Chaeyoung frowns. “Isn’t that what people do? Bring wine when they go to someone else’s house?”

Yeah, adults do. But he doesn’t say it, still reeling from the fact that every interaction he’s now had with her in Seoul has been in the midst of alcohol. He can’t help but wonder if she’s too young to be frequenting this much booze, but Chaeyoung snaps him out of that train of thought.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Hoseok looks up at her, now with her hands folded across her chest. He shakes his head immediately. “No, of course you didn’t. This was very nice of you,” he says sincerely, holding up the bottle. “Thanks.”

She returns his smile tentatively and follows him as they head inside. In the living room, the scene seems to be just as bleak as it had been two minutes ago, until Chanyeol and Jungkook spot the new guest. 

“Everyone, this is -”

“Hi, I’m Chaeyoung,” she says brightly, making Hoseok’s attempt at an introduction moot. Jungkook, who’s already stood up, bows and stutters his name as well. Behind him, Jimin stands up and flashes her a sparkling smile. 

“Hi, I’m Jimin. Hyung, you didn’t say someone else would be joining us as well,” he says, turning to Hoseok.

He narrows his eyes. “Didn’t I? My mistake,” he says, shrugging, for the truth is that he had no way of knowing if Chaeyoung would actually turn up. “Chae - I mean, Chaeyoung is Chan’s sister.”

“Really?” Jungkook’s head whips between both siblings as Chaeyoung takes a seat on the armchair next to him. “How much - I mean, what’s your age gap?”

“Four years,” supplies Chanyeol. “It’s started to seem like less, though, lately. No?”

She chuckles, taking off her jacket. “Only to you, oppa.”

“You two actually look quite similar,” remarks Jimin. “Except you’re…” He trails off as he looks at Chaeyoung and scrunches his face, clearly embarrassed. “You have longer hair,” he finishes.

“I’m going to keep this inside,” pipes up Hoseok then, holding up the wine. “Anyone want anything? Chae?”

Chaeyoung considers this, therefore missing the interested looks that Jimin and Jungkook give Hoseok. “I’ll have wine,” she decides. Jungkook asks if he can have another beer, and Hoseok silently nods and heads into the kitchen.

As he begins gathering the drinks, uncorking the wine and bustling around with the cans of beer in the fridge, he hears a burst of laughter from the living room that makes him freeze. He frowns, terribly confused, for until five minutes ago it looked like it would take something groundbreaking to liven the evening.

Hoseok tiptoes across the kitchen and slowly peers into the living room, afraid to breathe lest he ruin the mood. It occurs to him that he might be being rather dramatic, but it’s only because out of all the things that could have livened up the evening, Chaeyoung hadn’t been his bet.

“Here’s your drink.” He hands it to her a minute later, feeling his face flush unexpectedly when she smiles and takes the glass from him.

“So all three of you were friends when you were younger?” Jimin asks, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs.

“These two were,” answers Chaeyoung, pointing at Chanyeol and Hoseok.

“So were you,” says her brother, being, in Hoseok’s opinion, quite generous.

She gives him a look. “Was I? Really think about it, oppa.”

Chanyeol simply smiles bashfully while Jungkook nods beside her. “My brother never used to let me hang out with his friends either,” he says knowingly. 

“We let you hang out with us,” disagrees Hoseok, somewhat uncertain. “I mean, not all the time,” he allows, “but once in a while. Right?”

Chaeyoung shrugs easily. “Eh, it’s not important,” she says dismissively, waving a hand. “We got a life eventually,” she chuckles, glancing at Jungkook who grins.

“Should we pick the movie?” Hoseok asks abruptly, clapping his hands and grabbing the remote from the coffee table. He opens Netflix and hands the remote to Chanyeol, who begins flipping through the menu.

“We’re watching horror, yes?” He asks, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Ah, I love horror,” agrees Jungkook, snorting at Jimin’s doubtful expression.

“I don’t mind horror,” says Chaeyoung, positioning herself comfortably and facing the television. She leans over to pick up a handful of chips from the bowl on the coffee table as she looks at the screen. “Oh, not Train To Busan, though. Seen it too many times.”

“Yeah, no, we’ll look for something else…”

“We can watch Godzilla,” suggests Jimin hopefully.

“It’s supposed to be scary, hyung…”

“It is scary! Jin hyung got scared watching it, too.”

“Everything scares Jin hyung,” says Jungkook dismissively. “Oh, we can watch Get Out! I haven’t seen it since it came out.”

“Me neither,” says Chaeyoung, nodding. “A classic. Has everyone here seen it, though?”

“Yup,” says Chanyeol.

“I haven’t,” mutters Jimin. He turns to Hoseok beside him on the couch. “You haven’t seen it either, have you?”

“Er… no.” Hoseok frowns, scrolling through his phone. Nothing about a horror movie sounds like fun to him, but he’s ready to give it a shot if everyone else wants to. “It’s just… are we sure we want to watch it? I mean, Chaeyoung,” he says, watching her as she turns to look at him curiously. “Don’t you… not like horror movies? I was just reading about it and -”

“You what?” Her jaws drops open and she huffs. “You read about it? Oppa, you just ruined it for yourself!”

“No! I didn’t - I didn’t read the movie. I just read, like, the synopsis,” he explains hurriedly, ignoring how she rolls her eyes. “And it seems really scary.”

“Oh, don’t worry, hyung,” chimes Jungkook, shaking his head reassuringly. “It’s not any blood and gore or anything. It’s just… you know. Slow and…” He frowns deeply, trying to think of the right words to express the exact type of horror in this film.

“Slow, unsettling and debilitating fear throughout,” supplies Chaeyoung, her amusement clear.

Hoseok nods, not trusting himself to speak. “Oh. That’s - that’s… just fantastic. But, um… I thought you didn’t like horror movies.”

She frowns. “Why would you think that?”

“Because the last time we all watched a scary movie together, you ran out of the theater crying and locked yourself in the women’s bathroom,” he points out. “You didn’t come out until your dad threatened to take away your toy jewellery box.”

Chaeyoung gasps, her eyes unfocused as she apparently tries to remember. “Wait, you mean when we watched The Host? Oppa, I was nine.”

“Yes, and that kind of experience can traumatise a child,” he says wisely.

“Maybe, but I’m not one of them.” She gives him a look. “Are you sure you want to watch this movie?”

The answer is a resounding no, and it’s a testament to how much he hates horror movies that even a girl who’s only ever been in the peripheries of his life, knows this. 

Still, his response is to give her a look. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because even though I cried and ran away and what have you,” she begins, resting her elbow on the arm of her chair to lean towards him, “I also remember you jumping so hard you spilled your popcorn all over the ground.”

Hoseok feels himself flush again as Jimin lets out a tinkling laugh. “That’s pretty on-brand for Hoseok hyung.”

“Really?”

“I just meant -”

“Dude, we watched that Japanese horror movie and made it,” points out Chanyeol. “Get Out really isn’t that bad.”

“Exactly; even Jimin hyung won’t get that scared in this one -”

“I’m not the one who -”

“Okay, fine,” interrupts Hoseok loudly. “I wasn’t actually complaining about the movie. I was just… being mindful pf my guests.” He gives Chaeyoung a sideways glance.

She raises her eyebrows. “Who, me? I’m good.”

“Fine.”

“Yep.”

There’s a pause before Chanyeol speaks. “So are we watching the movie or what?”

“I’m good with whatever the host wants.”

“And I’m good with whatever my guests want.”

“How does that answer my question?”

“Just press play,” Hoseok sits back on the sofa and hopes he isn’t coming off as too disgruntled. Next to him, Chanyeol chuckles and obliges, looking terribly amused. “Shut up,” he mutters, leading his friend to let out a laugh that he immediately disguises as a cough.

The movie begins and the group descends into a state of cautious concentration. Despite the lights not being dimmed out, Hoseok can start to feel the stress of having to make it through a scary movie. He really doesn’t like them; he hoped his point of contention had been hint enough to Chaeyoung, but apparently he wasn’t clear enough - or, true to form, she did what she wanted to get what she wanted, and everyone else followed suit.

When the first jump scare occurs, he squeezes his eyes shut, wishing more than anything that Seokjin were here…

Think about something else, anything else. He tries to recall dance practice this morning. Everyone had picked up the steps by now and their choreography was finally coming together. Namjoon still needed to work on the counts in the first chorus, though, and Taehyung was missing the same beat in the bridge every time. Jungkook was excellent as usual, but even he needed to regulate his energy to save it for the dance break… 

A sound pulls him out of this focused train of thought. It’s persistent, and sounds a lot like whispering. Turning slightly, he glances past Jimin to see Jungkook on the other corner of the sofa, his head tilted towards Chaeyoung’s as they point at the screen and murmur. Hoseok can’t make out what they’re saying, but spots Jungkook smiling slightly and nodding.

It gives Hoseok a bad feeling. The two of them whispering to each other about the movie only reminds him that he hasn’t seen it, meaning he has no idea how much more terrifying it’s going to get. Besides, now that he’s noticed the whispering, all he can hear is the whispering. It’s vaguely distracting, and he wonders why Chanyeol isn’t telling her to cut it out.

It doesn’t seem as though he’s noticed, though. Neither, for that matter, has Jimin.

“Hyung?”

Hoseok jumps a little. “What?” he mutters, turning to Jimin and trying to ignore how his heart feels like it’s about to detach from his chest. 

“Can I get another drink?”

“You know where the beer is,” whispers Hoseok. “Help yourself.”

“Okay. You want anything?” 

“Get me a seltzer.”

Jimin nods, then turns to Jungkook on his other side. “Oi. Do you want another drink?”

Jungkook seems to consider it, then nods. “Another beer? Thanks, hyung. Oh, wait!” He leans over conspiratorially to Chaeyoung. “Do you want another drink?”

From her spot on the armchair, she nods immediately. “I can have another glass.” She picks up a piece of popcorn and throws it at her brother, seated across the room in the other armchair. “Oppa,” she whispers loudly, “you want a drink?”

“Beer,” he answers instantly, before tapping Hoseok’s shoulder. “Oi, Hoseok. Do you want -”

“Good Lord,” groans Hoseok, rolling his eyes. “You know what? Why don’t we have an intermission? We can all refresh our drinks, too.”

“Good idea,” says Chanyeol to his immense relief, pausing the movie. “Washroom is…”

“Inside, to the left.”

As his friend disappears inside, the whispering transforms into full blown chatter, this time about the movie.

“I don’t trust the dad,” says Jimin instantly, looking rather troubled.

“Just the dad?” Chaeyoung asks, tilting her head.

Jimin gives her mock-annoyed look, making her laugh, while Jungkook shrugs. “I love movies where you can’t trust anyone.” He turns to Hoseok. “Hyung, are you liking the movie?”

“Oh, yeah, you haven’t seen it before,” remembers Chaeyoung. “So who’s creeping you out more? The dad or the mom? Or the gardener?”

Hoseok resists the urge to say everyone when it occurs to him that he has no idea what’s transpired in the last twenty minutes of the movie entirely. But before three expectant faces, he bites his lip. “The, uh… the maid. Definitely.”

“Oh, good one. Yeah, she’s suspicious as hell…”

“Who, the mom?” Chanyeol asks as he returns and takes his original seat, a brand new beer can in his hands already. “She’s the best.”

“The best?” Jimin asks, a little incredulous.

“You know what I mean. She’s the most exciting one.”

“But, hyung, she’s also the most dangerous…”

Chaeyoung stands up and goes to the kitchen with her empty glass as the conversation continues. Hoseok listens quietly, feeling lighter than before at the sight of his friends conversing more freely with each other. Even Jungkook seems to be coming out of his shell, a reasonably unusual occurrence when he meets new people.

Which reminds him.

Hoseok excuses himself and heads to the kitchen as well, where he sees Chaeyoung peering at his bottles of soju, her refilled wine glass balancing between her fingers. She turns when he enters, giving him a brief smile before going back to examining the label she was reading.

“Hey - so, I just wanted to check in,” he says after a moment, leaning awkwardly against the doorframe. For some reason, he’s suddenly very aware of how lanky he is, feeling as though he’s all joints and bones. “Hope, uh, hope my friends are being nice to you?”

“Oh, yeah, they’re great,” she replies easily, turning momentarily again and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Right, right. And… you’re not uncomfortable or anything?”

“Um, no. Not at all.” She frowns. “Why?”

“No, just -” He shakes his head and winces. “You’re the only girl here and… I dunno. You sure they aren’t being, like… fresh with you?”

Chaeyoung turns and stares. “Not really, dad.”

Hoseok ignores this. “Okay. I only ask because I saw you and Jungkook talking through most of the movie. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t being weird.”

Her forehead clears somewhat. “Oh, no. He was just being nice. He’s quite sweet, really.”

“He’s - okay. Thought I sensed, like. A vibe.”

“Don’t worry about it. Jimin’s more my type, anyway,” she adds casually after a moment, her gaze still on the soju.

“Huh. What?” 

Chaeyoung turns around and blinks. “What?”

“He’s your type?” The words are out of Hoseok’s mouth before he can stop them. “What, uh, what do you mean by that?”

She frowns. “Um… nothing, really. He just seems more outgoing, that’s all.”

“Okay. Because when people say someone’s their type, they usually mean it in the context of…” But the word doesn’t come to him. “Well, in a different context.”

“Well, I meant it in the context that in terms of personality, I tend to get along with Jimins more than Jungkooks.” She looks confused. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, not at all.” A moment passes. “It just looked like you were getting along well with Jungkook, too.”

“I was…” If it’s possible, Chaeyoung looks even more confused than Hoseok feels. “Seriously, what - what did I do?” She asks this, not defensively, but with a bit of a sigh, as though this was to be expected.

“Nothing. Really.” He shakes his head. “Sorry, I’m just… I don’t host very often,” he explains lamely. “But I’m glad you’re getting along with them, I guess.”

She watches him for a moment before replying, as though waiting to see if he’ll say anything else. “Okay, then. They’re being very nice. So… you can chill.”

“I - hey. I’m chill. Alright?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m chill. Cool. Whatever. I’m totally - I’m frigid.”

Chaeyoung stares at him, lips pursed, while Hoseok finds himself wishing he was still watching that terrifying horror movie over having this conversation. Before either of them can say anything, though, Chanyeol enters the kitchen. 

“Hey, I was looking for a bottle opener…?” He looks up to see both occupants of the kitchen, as though just realising who they are. “What’s up?”

Hoseok takes a beat as Chaeyoung simply shakes her head and turns back to the soju. He shrugs. “Nothing. Just catching up.”

Chanyeol raises his eyebrows. “You two?” he asks incredulously, being far too obvious in Hoseok’s opinion. 

He deliberately doesn’t look in his sister’s direction as he responds. “Yeah. I was making sure she found a drink and… and she was telling me how she’d like to date Jimin.”

Chaeyoung’s head whips around. “What?” Her eyes dart to Chanyeol. “I wasn’t -” She breaks off and exhales through her nose, glaring at Hoseok. “Dude, what the hell?”

“Me? You’re the one who said he was your type,” he counters. “I didn’t even ask; you volunteered that information all by yourself.”

“Yes, and by saying he’s my type, I’m virtually humping him,” she snaps, making both men groan instantly.

“Don’t say hump!”

“Jeez, Chae, what is the matter with you?”

She glares at them, jaw dropping. “Okay, you’re both really weird right now. And you -” She rounds on Hoseok. “You are raining on my parade.”

“What parade is that exactly?”

“My - like, my social life. I was just being nice to your friends -”

“Okay, you know what? As your - your older brother’s friend, I’m going to give you some advice about -”

“I don’t need your advice! And - don’t you point your beer at me!”

“I’ll point -”

“Okay, whoa! Time out!” Chanyeol exclaims, taking a step forward and holding up his hands. “Come on, guys.”

Both Hoseok and Chaeyoung fall silent. While she simply folds her arms across her chest and conspicuously shifts her gaze to Chanyeol, Hoseok glares at her for a moment before rolling his eyes and glancing at his best friend.

Chanyeol waits for a moment. “Okay,” he says slowly. “Now which one’s Jimin again?”

Chaeyoung huffs. “Alright, I’m going to go back to the living room before I scream,” she says in a low voice, manoeuvring around both men and stalking out of the kitchen.

Hoseok sighs and shakes his head. “God, I forgot how much of a nightmare this can be,” he mutters, as they follow her at a slower pace.

“Yeah, don’t you just love it when ten years pass and nothing changes?” Chanyeol responds sarcastically, falling into his arm chair as the movie resumes. For the rest of the movie, no one says a word. Hoseok can’t be sure, but he thinks Jimin and Jungkook may have caught on to at least something, but he can’t worry about that now.

Part of him knows he needs to clear the air with Chaeyoung, if for no other reason than the fact that he doesn’t want to continue behaving like a sniping teenager. It’s not her fault that she finds a way each time to wheedle her way into his life, be it on the school bus with his classmates or in his apartment with his group members. He, Hoseok, had invited her here and if Chaeyoung can’t help but be so… so Chaeyoung, he at least can rise to the occasion and be a little more patient. 

“Whoa,” says Jimin in wonder as the credits begin rolling. “I did not see that coming. What a movie.”

“You didn’t get as scared as I expected you to,” remarks Jungkook thoughtfully. “Neither did Hoseok hyung, actually,” he adds, sounding almost disappointed.

Hoseok hyung didn’t, it’s true, but it’s only because he spent the last hour of the movie thinking of the various ways in which he can clear the air with a certain acquaintance from his past. “Show me something scarier next time, kid,” he suggests instead.

To his horror, Jungkook grins, while Chanyeol chuckles. “That is not a challenge he needed, mate. Anyway, I think I should head.”

“Already?” Jungkook checks his phone for the time. “It’s barely nine.”

“I have an early flight tomorrow,” he replies apologetically, standing up and stretching. “But text me the link to that YouTube video when you find it.”

“Yeah, for sure.”

“Cool. Chae, come on, I’ll drop you on the way.”

As Jimin and Jungkook begin debating whether they should head back, Hoseok notices Chaeyoung nodding and putting on her jacket, eyes on the floor. There’s a bit of bustling as everyone gets ready to leave and moves collectively towards the hall to put on their shoes. Chanyeol gets a call and steps into the corridor to take it, and Hoseok takes the opportunity to get his sister alone for a moment.

“Hey.”

Startled, Chaeyoung gasps a little when she hears his voice. “Uh - hey.”

“Listen, I…” This is harder than he anticipated. “Sorry about… before.”

She nods slowly, pausing before speaking. “Did I do something wrong, though?”

“No,” he says immediately. “I just got a little…” Again, he can’t think of the word. He tries it differently. “You’re the kid I grew up with. I didn’t realise it, but I guess I still see you as the eleven year old who insisted she was old enough to go-kart with us. I mean,” he adds with a little chuckle, “don’t you kind of still see me as the fifteen year old kid who used to hang out with your brother?”

She seems to consider it before shaking her head. “Not really.”

It’s not the answer he was expecting, but he nods. “Fair enough. That’s on me, I guess.”

“You know,” she says after a moment, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket, “I hope you don’t feel an obligation to keep in touch just because we ran into each other accidentally. I mean, Seoul is a big city. I can understand if you don’t want…” She trails off, and he senses the air shift slightly.

He frowns, not understanding it. “I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t want you to come.”

She narrows her eyes at him, but more knowingly than snidely. “You invited me because I’m Chan’s sister.”

A part of Hoseok, an old, fading part fueled by only memories and habit and nothing else, is glad she knows this. It feels shameful to admit it, though, and he wonders for a moment if she’s waiting for him to confirm it. Before he can respond, however, Jimin and Jungkook arrive behind him and step in between them to head out.

“We have to go, hyung,” says Jimin while Jungkook waves to Chaeyoung. “Yoongi hyung asked us to pick up coffee on the way and the place will close soon.”

“Yeah, and there’s some international package with the guards at the dorm,” adds Jungkook, shrugging. “There’s no one at home so we need to sign for it.”

“We’ll be on time for practice tomorrow, though!”

Hoseok waves them away as they hop into the elevator. At the other end of the corridor, Chanyeol looks like he’s wrapping up his call. Chaeyoung seems to notice this, too, and turns to leave when Hoseok stops her.

“Chae, look,” he begins nervously. “Whatever may have been my reason to invite you… I’m glad you came,” he says honestly. “It was good to see you again.”

She looks for a moment as though she doesn’t believe him. But then her mouth curves into a small, playful smile. “Even though I still think Jimin is my type?”

Hoseok nods, the smile frozen on his face. “Yeah, this was a nice moment. Let’s not ruin it.”

Chaeyoung’s shoulders deflate slightly but she still looks more upbeat than before. “Alright,” she says, taking a step backwards. “Goodnight, oppa.”

“Goodnight, Chaeyoung.”

—

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